Routes Asia goes (again) to China in 2015

KUCHING- As the largest Routes Asia event to date draws to a close in Kuching, the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and their co-hosts Malaysia Airports Bhd. have officially handed over to Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd the host of Routes Asia 2015.

This will be the fifth time that a Routes event has taken place in China. In 2007 Routes Asia was held in Hainan and the following year the event took place in Macau. World Routes 2009 took place in Beijing and, most recently, Routes Asia 2012 took place in Chengdu, hosted by Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. By comparison, India hosted only twice Routes Asia while Kuala Lumpur hosted the regional Asian event from 2003 to 2005 as well as Routes World in 2008 and this year in Kuching, Sarawak.

In 2015 the event, which will take place 15-17 March 2015, heads to Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan province in Southwest China, hosted by Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd. owners of Kunming Changshui International Airport, and supported by their partners Yunnan Provincial Civil Aviation Development and Management Bureau and Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Commission.

Speaking at the official handover ceremony, Ms. Li Yinglin, Vice President of Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd said: “We believe that hosting Routes Asia 2015 will have important historical meaning for Kunming Changshui International Airport. We are delighted to invite all delegates to attend next year’s event in Kunming.”

“After an incredibly successful event here in Malaysia it is fantastic that we are able to bring Routes Asia to China once again,” explained Katie Bland, Director Routes, UBM Live: “Yunnan Airport Group has attended many Routes events over the years and we look forward to working more closely with their team over the next 12 months. Kunming Changshui International Airport is the seventh busiest airport in China with the most rapidly growing number of passengers and has undergone a complete reconstruction. Routes Asia 2015 will provide an opportunity to showcase this to the Routes community. With its beautiful landscapes and mild climate the Yunnan province is one of China’s major tourist destinations and we are eager for our delegates to experience Kunming - the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ and Yunnan Province.”

Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) is located just 27km northeast of Kunming city centre and is currently the seventh busiest airport in China in terms of passengers and the fifth busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements. In 2013, Kunming International Airport recorded 29.7 million passengers with an annual growth rate of 23.8%, including 2.17 million international passengers with an annual growth rate of 31%.

The fifth time presence of China at the Routes show demonstrates the increasing importance of China as a world aviation power. It also shows that Chinese authorities consider of utmost importance the hosting of international events to assert its role on the world stage. And finally, it is also a sign that money to host large events is definitely today on the Chinese side…

(With sources from Routes Public Relations)

Routes Asia hosted events since 2003

- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by Malaysia Airports for 3 years in 2003-2005
- Pattaya, Thailand, 9-11 April 2006, hosted by Airports of Thailand Plc.
- Hainan, China, 25-27 March 2007, hosted by Hainan Meilan International Airport
- Macau, China, 11-13 April 2008, hosted by Macau International Airport
- Hyderabad, India, 29-31 March 2009, hosted by Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (GMR Group).
- Adelaide, Australia, 18-20 April 2010, hosted by Adelaide Airport
- Incheon, South Korea, 27-29 March 2011, hosted by Incheon International Airport Corp.
- Chengdu, China, 15-17 April 2012, hosted by Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
- Mumbai, India, 17-19 March 2013, hosted by GVK Mumbai International Airport
- Sarawak, Malaysia, 9-11 March 2014 hosted by Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and by Malaysia Airports Bhd.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews