Malindo Air: Pakistan’s inclusion in route map will boost tourism, trade

Pakistan, Malaysia hope to use latest development to increase trade volume

LAHORE: The decision of Malaysia’s Malindo Air to make Pakistan the latest destination in its route map will enable both countries to boost tourism and explore new vistas of trade collaboration, said Malaysian Deputy Minister for Transportation Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi.

“One of the core components of the tourism industry is the airline; its main mode of transportation from one country to another. It contributes, without any doubt, to the accelerated growth of a country’s tourism,” he added.



He said both countries could benefit from this initiative as many Malaysian Sikh nationals would be more than delighted to visit holy sites in Pakistan. Similarly, the hospitality offered by Pakistan would enable the Malaysian business community to make efforts in exploring the trade potential.

“In Malaysia, tourism industry is deemed as one of the most important economic contributors in the country’s GDP. According to statistics, Malaysia attracted 27 million international tourists in 2014, up 6.7% compared to 2013,” said the minister. “Total international tourist receipts for Malaysia increased 3.9% to Malaysian Ringgit (RM) 60.6 billion ($19 billion) in 2014. Last year, Malaysia recorded 60,000 tourist arrivals from Pakistan,’ he added.

Kaprawi was of the view that better accessibility and promotions offered by the airlines and wide coverage of ‘Visit Malaysia Year’ contributed to the increase in tourists’ arrival. “Collaborations with airlines to organise familiarisation trips, effective advertising, promotional campaigns by airlines and trade seminars also contribute to the increase,” he said.



Also present, Malindo Air CEO Chandran Rama Muthy, said the initiation of operations in Pakistan was another historic milestone in the short history of the airline. “Since its inception in 2012, Malindo Air has made rapid growth. Our current fleet consists of 16 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and 11 ATR 72-700 turboprop aircraft,” he said, giving details. “The airline operates short and medium haul flights to Malaysian and regional destinations including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Australia and Vietnam.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2016.

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