ROAD CLOSURE ALONG PERSIARAN KLCC-JALAN BINJAI & REALIGNMENT OF PERSIARAN KLCC-JALAN LUMBA KUDA

Public Notice from MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) SDN BHD

Road closure of Persiaran KLCC-Jalan Binjai will take effect between 1 October 2016 to December 2021; and

The realignment of Jalan Lumba Kuda will be implemented from 1 October 2016 to 28 February 2017.

This is to make way for the construction of the MRT KL East Station (KLE/KLCC East Station) located beneath Jalan Binjai, when completed.

More information on the project / underground works at:

http://www.mymrt.com.my/
http://mymrt-underground.com.my/
https://www.facebook.com/MRTMalaysia/
http://www.mymrt.com.my/…/…/mediarelease_download_000887.pdf

Cloud Passport In The Works For ASEAN Nations

Malaysian startup BorderPass is set to launch a pilot test at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which allows travellers to pre-clear the immigration checkpoint before arriving at the destination.

The closed trial will take place once BorderPass finishes installation of automatic clearance gates at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 by the end of this year. Public trials are then planned to follow.

Explaining how it works, BorderPass CEO Faisal Ariff said: “We replace paper immigration forms with a biometrically verified online profile, which is sent to the destination government the moment a flight is booked.

“Pre-cleared passengers use a BorderPass automated gate on arrival, skipping the manual immigration queue and forms. It is essentially a precursor to the cloud passport. It is where we feel the world is headed to in the next 10 to 20 years.”

BorderPass is being targeted at intra-ASEAN travellers for now, according to Faisal, who is speaking with various stakeholders within the 10 nation bloc to implement the pioneering solution.

“There are four key stakeholders who we have worked hard to convince: governments, airlines, airports and passengers,” he said.

“Each have a different perspective and we tailor our message to them accordingly. For governments the top three priorities are security, security and security. For airlines, it may be boosting passenger throughput and managing capacity.”

BorderPass had been in talks with the Malaysian Immigration Department since early 2014, as well as with the ASEAN Secretariats in Jakarta and three other ASEAN countries, among many others, to bring the project to its current state. The trail at KLIA is a first for South-east Asia.

Australia and New Zealand, in an initiative led by the two nation’s governments, were the world’s first to test run cloud passport technology back in October 2015.

While going paperless is an exciting prospect for end-consumers, Faisal highlights the positive effects it has for South-east Asian immigration authorities as well.

He said: “The key difference we are introducing is the ability to pre-screen passengers before they arrive, using a secure biometrically-verified profile which carries over from journey to journey across the region.

“This enables the destination government to screen visa-free visitors days, weeks or months ahead of time, as opposed to traditional last-minute manual screening. For passengers this translates to a simple, seamless, and secure journey.”

BorderPass is also currently working closely with travel technology stalwarts Amadeus via its startup programme Amadeus Next to look at integrating its systems with airlines and airports that are being powered by Amadeus solutions.

“We had the unique opportunity to head to Amadeus’ customer event, Online Connect, where we were able to pitch our idea and network with Asia-Pacific’s leading OTAs. It was great exposure to the industry and for us it validated our solution with the online community,” said Faisal.

“We were also pretty excited to be awarded Amadeus Next Startup of the Year at the event, helping us to establish international credibility, and probably it helped us in Malaysia also.”

Source: Pelancongan Kini - Malaysia

Asia Becoming More Attractive for Long-haul Travelers

Competitive airfares and concerns over safety issues in the wake of Europe’s recent terrorism incidents are driving more longhaul travellers to choose Asia as a preferred holiday destination, according to trade feedback at PATA Travel Mart.

Asia appears to be an unexpected winner resulting from Europe’s recent terror woes, Pacto COO Umberto Cadamuro observed, as the Indonesian DMC saw an 80 per cent year-to-date surge in volume from Europe.

“Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Turkey are a no-go. The shorthaul operators in Europe are left with just Spain and Greece, so they have to start selling longhaul to survive,” he said. “There is always opportunity if you know where to look.”

For president of US-based Travelvision Jaishree Mehta, who deems Europe and Asia as equals in terms of travel costs for American travellers, what makes Asia more attractive now is the perception of Asia as “a safer destination” relative to Europe.

Furthermore, airlines’ aggressive promotions as well as the rise of longhaul budget carriers such as Eurowings have greatly boosted the affordability of a vacation in South-east Asia.

“Eurowings’ flights to Asia are very popular because Germans love a good deal and are willing to make a last-minute booking,” Urs Sandner, managing director, Zarva Travel Management remarked.

In a recent last-minute promotional deal from Germanwings during the low-season month of July, Urs told TTG Asia that he sold out the LCC’s Cologne-Phuket flights in just two weeks.

“With LCCs, travellers can choose between very affordable basic fares and more premium categories (unlike legacy carriers),” he elaborated.

This gels with Cadamuro’s observation of an emerging travel class from Europe. “There is a new wave of travellers who could not afford to travel longhaul before, but now they can travel,” he added.

Also seeing the relative affordability of Asia is Gene Harley, managing director of Chicago-based Advantage International. He said: “The taxes for a Europe round trip costs around US$700 to US$800 whereas the taxes for a similar trip to Asia is around US$100 to US$200.

“A 10-day holiday to Tokyo offers savings of (up to) US$1,000, compared with a trip to Rome,” he elaborated.

Shirish Trivedi, president of Travel Leaders based in Baltimore, said airfares from Washington to London and Rome were almost similar compared with airfares to Bangkok and Singapore – but what gives Asia an advantage is the lower cost of hotels.

He added: “A four-star hotel in Bangkok is 30 per cent cheaper compared with a hotel in London. When you spend 10 days or more on a holiday, the savings is significant.”

Trivedi has seen a 10 per cent increase in interest to Asia, with Cambodia and Myanmar topping the list of favourite Asian destinations.

Overall, trade members credit the Gulf airlines as a game-changer in the longhaul travel landscape by connecting their Middle Eastern home-bases with many cities in European countries.

Outbound travellers from Nice, for example, can now fly directly to the Middle East instead of transiting in Paris in order to connect to Asia, said Cadamuro. “Besides cutting flight time, it is also cheaper than the European and major Asian airlines.”

This has introduced pressure on legacy airlines to cut down on prices, making it more affordable to fly from Europe to Asia.

And amid the growing German interest in Asia, Sandner wants more budget connections to Asia. He said: “It is a good time for AirAsia X to launch direct flights from Malaysia to Germany to fill the gap that Malaysia Airlines had left behind.”

Source: Pelancongan Kini - Malaysia