AirAsia ASEAN Pass the ticket to more longhaul budget, regional travel

Malaysian tour operators both inbound and outbound are strategising how to make the most of AirAsia's ASEAN Pass announced last week, saying the credit-based system presents potential to upsell and boost travel around South-east Asia.

Adam Kamal, deputy president 2 of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism and CEO of Rakyat Travel, said: “We anticipate this pass will attract budget travellers, such as backpackers and youth travellers, hence we will introduce packages combining three or four countries for this segment.”

The Pass is also expected to be a hit among travellers from medium to longhaul markets, especially bargain hunters who can now cover several countries on a single pass.

John Chan, general manager at NCR Travel & Tours, pointed out: “The savings on flights can be used on the ground. This ASEAN Pass will be an opportunity for us to upsell, and to combine Malaysia with other destinations.”

Ally Bhoonee, executive director at World Avenues, also expects ASEAN nationals to be the main beneficiaries since no visas are required, except to Myanmar. “It is like getting a free ticket to Malaysia when travellers purchase this pass. It will attract more (South-east Asian) arrivals into Malaysia, and inbound travel consultants will benefit for more requests for their services.”

But she added: “On the downside, it may also entail shorter stays in Malaysia as travellers will want to visit other countries within ASEAN as well.”

Echoing Ally’s sentiments, Adam also called for the introduction of the single ASEAN Visa for non-ASEAN nationals “otherwise this initiative will only benefit ASEAN member countries”.

The AirAsia ASEAN Pass is expected to be rolled out in January next year.

According to Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, the pass eliminates the hassle of dealing with foreign exchange rates as it stores credit and acts as a single currency.

Routes are valued according to the credits. The Pass comes in two options – a one-month pass for 10 credits at a flat rate of RM500 (US$149), and a 45-day pass for 20 credits worth RM900 – both excluding airport charges.

-TTG Asia.