Laffitte Conseil

A blue AirAsia enters Vietnam

AirAsia in Vietnam, set to take flight in July next year, will tap on the huge potential of Vietnam's population base of 84 million and the country's proximity to China, said group executive officer Dato' Tony Fernandes.

The Malaysian low cost carrier celebrated the country's 50th year of independence on August 31 by inking a deal with Vietnam's state-owned corporation, Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), to set up the new frills-free carrier.

The new frills-free carrier, to be known as Vina AirAsia in Vietnam, is expected to be operational in July 2008.

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Only 22% trust advice from travel companies

Online travel sites can no long rely on market growth to boost sales and must optimise their customer experience to secure travel bookings.

That's the view of the boss of a digital consultancy which commissioned a survey showing that 85% of people plan to research or book online in the next 12 months and 40% of respondents did not to visit a travel agent in the last two years.

The study revealed that 67% of online British holidaymakers intend to conduct most or all of their travel planning online next year, while only 4% will avoid the internet for travel purposes in the next 12 months with 11% unsure.

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