AirAsia East Malaysia Commercial head Nur Hayati Aziz Rashid (centre) receives the award from Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew, witnessed by Sabah Tourism general manager Noredah Othman and Sabah Tourism chairman Ken Pan (left) as well as Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assafal P Alian and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk William Baya (right).
KOTA KINABALU: AirAsia continues to shine at the Sabah Tourism Awards 2019 as it was named the Best Partner Airline for the fourth time running.
The award recognises airlines that have contributed to the state tourism industry in terms of connectivity and bringing the most number of visitors to Sabah in the past two years.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew presented the award to AirAsia East Malaysia Commercial head Nur Hayati Aziz Rashid during the award ceremony held at Magellan Hotel, Sutera Harbour Resort last night.
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “We would like to thank all Sabahans for your continuous support and this recognition. AirAsia is proud to work hand-in-hand with the Sabah state government and the Sabah Tourism Board to continue the growth of the tourism industry and to further boost the economy in Sabah. This award goes to all our Allstars in Sabah who have worked really hard.”
“Kota Kinabalu is AirAsia’s largest hub in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, where we currently operate ten aircrafts and provide employment for 452 Sabahans. We also have big plans for other cities like Sandakan and Tawau. As the state is strategically located on the tip of Borneo, we’re constantly exploring opportunities to connect Sabah with more destinations within Asean, in North Asia and beyond. We’re also working closely with all stakeholders on various campaigns to showcase the best of Sabah,” he added.
Launched in the year 1997, the Sabah Tourism Awards is held biennially to recognise individuals and organizations that have excelled and contributed to the development of tourism and hospitality in Sabah. AirAsia was awarded the Best Partner Airline in the year 2011, 2015, and 2017.
AirAsia has expanded two exclusive Rural Air Services (RAS) routes to Sabah early this year, which are Kota Kinabalu-Sibu and Kota Kinabalu-Bintulu. This year up to October 2019, AirAsia has carried more than 2.5 million guests into Sabah, an increase of 22.3 per cent compared to (the same period in) 2018 and among the total visitors, 38.4 per cent are of foreign nationalities.
AirAsia currently connects Sabah to 21 destinations via Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau with a total of 511 weekly direct flights into Sabah. AirAsia Fly-Thru services also connect Sabah to 63 cities in the Asia Pacific via a stop-over in Kuala Lumpur.