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The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Malaysia

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171453895762105249875-C689-4B1F-A7CA-B842B4238619.JPG" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">The Petronas Twin Towers, a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. <em>Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — AirAsia is banking on the “spirit of adventure” with their newest product aimed at travelers who want to explore the “hidden gems” of Southeast Asia.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2024/3/6/dot-looks-to-make-ph-the-next-asian-tourism-powerhouse-2115">READ: DOT looks to make PH the next Asian tourism powerhouse</a></div><p>Called the “ASEAN Explorer Pass,” the subscription product provides zero-base fares on international ASEAN flights by the AirAsia airline group, along with other perks such as hotel discounts of up to 50 percent.</p><p>AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said the product was a realization of his dream from childhood.</p><p>“It has always been my dream when I was a kid or much younger— in Europe they have something like the Eurail Pass where you could move around Europe on a train. I was always [asking] how could we do it on a plane?” Fernandes said during the launch of the travel pass in Kuala Lumpur last week.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714538787980IMG_2774.JPG" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">AirAsia, AirAsia MOVE, and ASEAN officials during the launch of the ASEAN Explorer Pass in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. <em>Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The launch was attended by key officials in Malaysia, including Nazir Razak, chairman of ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (BAC) Malaysia.</p><p>“We look forward to success of this product,” Razak told Fernandes.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘SAMPLING ASEAN’</strong></div><p>According to AirAsia, the ASEAN Explorer Pass aims to “simplify travel and encourage people to explore more destinations, know more about the rich culture, and try new experiences across the ASEAN member states where AirAsia flies.”</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/28/23/tourism-pioneers-honored-at-ph-asean-tourism-standards-awards">READ: Tourism pioneers honored at PH-ASEAN Tourism Standards Awards</a></div><p>“It’s unlimited. My revenue guys don’t like this program. They tried to put in so many restrictions, but we revoked everything,” Fernandes said candidly.</p><p>“We’re not gonna make a lot of money here. It’s about really trying to promote ASEAN.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714539655982IMG_2785.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes says his &quot;revenue guys&quot; did not like the ASEAN Explorer Pass because it would not make a lot of money. <em>Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>But the pass is not only limited to those from the region but will be available globally, Fernandes clarified.</p><p>“I had to push them to do this. We want really someone from America to say ‘I’m gonna go to ASEAN 10 times a year to visit as many different places.’ One of the most important points of this product is that if you like what you see, you’re gonna tell a hundred people [about it] and spread the word that, one, ASEAN is a destination, and two, there’s so much to do here,” Fernandes said.</p><p>“We hope this pass is the beginning of people inside and outside ASEAN to come and see much more than Bali,” he added.</p><p>In the future, Fernandes envisions the travel pass to become some sort of a unifier for the airline players in the region and ask them to join their network under the roof of AirAsia MOVE, the company’s digital platform.</p><p>He revealed that as of the moment, they are in talks with a “national carrier” to be part of the ASEAN Explorer Pass.</p><p>“We’d love as many airlines to join in and make ASEAN even more accessible,” the Malaysian businessman said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT IT’S NOT</strong></div><p>Fernandes went on to explain that the ASEAN Travel Pass was meant for travelers who would not mind having a little diversion from their original plans. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714539243964IMG_2764.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">The ASEAN Explorer Pass aims to “simplify travel and encourage the people of to explore more destinations&quot; in Southeast Asia. <em>Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“Now this isn’t like a Netflix subscription, [you can’t] travel every day. There’ll be days that you can’t get the seat that you want, but there will always be a seat for you to go somewhere in this amazing place of 700 million people,” Fernandes said.</p><p>Instead, the product is about “exploring ASEAN,” particularly the destinations you have not considered before.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/22/23/how-the-covid-pandemic-changed-the-travel-industry">READ: How the COVID pandemic changed the travel industry</a></div><p>“Everyone knows Bangkok, Bali, Singapore, but there are many places that [AirAsia] goes to that most of you have never been to. So we want to encourage all of you to try and travel around the whole of ASEAN, not just the big cities.”</p><p>One of the destinations Fernandes raved about was Lake Toba in Indonesia, saying it was comparable to what he saw in Switzerland.</p><p>“It’s not a perfect product but it’s a start, and every day we get better and better and we learn more about what people want,” Fernandes said.</p><p>The AirAsia boss, meanwhile, admitted that app and product would inevitably encounter glitches given the current demand for travel.</p><p>“I think we’re ready for the traffic now, we can be better and it can be more intuitive… Are we 100 percent the best app? No. But I think we will be very soon,” he said.</p><p>The ASEAN Explorer Pass, valid for 1 year, is available on AirAsia MOVE app for P14,888. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>AIRASIA MOVE</strong></div><p>The annual travel pass is being operated by AirAsia MOVE (formerly called AirAsia SuperApp), which is a separate company from the airline itself.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714539605584440745046_122144256248123384_346617736791490327_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">What is the ASEAN Explorer Pass? <em>From AirAsia MOVE&#x27;s Facebook page</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>AirAsia MOVE’s ecosystem includes online travel agent (OTA) services such as flight bookings from over 700 airlines, including the World’s Best Low-Cost Carrier AirAsia and 900,000 hotels worldwide plus ride-hailing, dining experiences, insurance and more.</p><p>CEO Nadia Omer said she wants the app to be “ASEAN’s favorite OTA.”</p><p>“Our vision for AirAsia MOVE [is to be] ASEAN’s most loved OTA. We are from ASEAN… Unlike any other OTA, we are completely committed here,” Omer said.</p><p>“[We’re] making travel not only for the affluent or mainstream travelers but going deeper into the pyramid. Affordability is key,” she added.</p><p>Omer also said they want to make travel more accessible to ASEAN women and retirees “through inclusive travel as well as creating delightful journeys.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘BOOMING’ ASEAN</strong></div><p>Razak said with Malaysia holding the ASEAN chairmanship next year, they have the “opportunity to drive the agenda for ASEAN.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17145394957227BF1A7E8-9B0A-4B30-BC50-05287883B22E.JPG" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Kuala Lumpur tower. <em>Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>“From my committee’s perspective, we intend to be very focused on more and more ASEAN deals, ASEAN products. Traditionally ASEAN-BAC has been about policy changes and reforms. We want next year to be heavy on transactions and deals,” Razak announced.</p><p>Razak said the AirAsia’s ASEAN Explorer Pass is just an example of what’s to come.</p><p>During the launch of the travel pass, Fernandes said one of the reasons he postponed his retirement for another 5 years was to “complete the journey” of AirAsia.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/4/26/-asean-is-booming-airasia-boss-says-as-he-stays-for-another-5-years-1552">READ: &#x27;ASEAN is booming&#x27; AirAsia boss says as he stays for another 5 years</a></div><p>“ASEAN is booming,” Fernandes declared. “This is a great time to be in ASEAN. You see the dynamism all over from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, everywhere. There’s excitement.”</p><p>But amid all the innovations and transformations, Fernandes said AirAsia remains committed to their 2-decade tagline “Now Everyone Can Fly.”</p><p>“We continue to look for ways to get people to fly more and try new destinations.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gkf_s8ufAhw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The ASEAN Explorer Pass provides zero-base fares on international ASEAN flights by the AirAsia airline group, along with other perks such as hotel discounts of up to 50 percent.</p>

The ASEAN Explorer Pass provides zero-base fares on international ASEAN flights by the AirAsia airline group, along with other perks such as hotel discounts of up to 50 percent.

Want to explore SE Asia? AirAsia offers annual pass for 'spontaneous' travelers

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Want to explore SE Asia? AirAsia offers annual pass for 'spontaneous' travelers

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 01, 2024 01:32 PM PHT

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AirAsia

AirAsia MOVE

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