Budiey
AirAsia’s 4x weekly flights to Kunming from Kuala Lumpur will be increased to daily flights effective 2 July 2013, with added frequencies on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The additional frequencies (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) will be available for booking online at AirAsia’s website, www.airasia.com from Monday, 3 June up to Sunday, 16 June 2013 with promotional all-in-fares from as low as RM88 one way. Guests are able to travel from the commencement date of the new frequencies on 2 July 2013 until 30 April 2014.
[pullquote align=”right”]New frequencies on Tue, Thurs, Sat available from RM88 one way to the City of Eternal Spring[/pullquote]
Promotional fares for the existing frequencies (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) to Kunming are also available from RM199 one way, inclusive of taxes and fees for the same booking and travel period.
Bookings can also be made via AirAsia’s new and improved mobile apps as well which are available for download at Apple’s App Store for iPhone, Google’s Play Store for Android phones, or at mobile.airasia.com for WAP enabled phones.
Kenny Wong, Commercial Director of AirAsia Berhad commented, “The Kuala Lumpur – Kunming route was introduced in early December last year, and have enjoyed a healthy average load factor of over 80% for the past 6 months. There is an increasing trend in travel to Kunming, and we are confident that the introduction of daily flights to Kunming will be received well.”
The introduction of Kuala Lumpur – Kunming daily flights coincides with the month of Ramadhan, and a special ‘buka puasa’ combo meal consisting of ‘Nasi Hujan Panas with Beef Rendang’, ‘Wajik’ (local dessert) and a drink of your choice will also be available for purchase on board at only RM19 per set.
“Kunming, which is part of the Yunnan province is also known as the City of Eternal Spring, and is suitable for year-round visits. Apart from that, the Yunnan province also houses the Hui Muslim community, making the city of Kunming one of the most Muslim-friendly travel destinations in China with an abundance of halal food everywhere, as well as easy access to mosques which are also architectural wonders such as the Kunming Nancheng Mosque, Kunming Shuncheng Street Mosque, Kunming Yongning Mosque, and the Kunming Chongde Mosque,” added Kenny Wong.
Kunming has an average temperature of 15degrees Celcius throughout the year, making it one of the most comfortable destinations to visit, with snowfall during occasional winter. One of the most notable attractions in Kunming would be the Stone Forest or ‘Shilin’ where a set of limestone formation resembles stalagmites creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Two parts of the Stone Forest site, Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is classified as AAAAA-class tourist site in China.
Photography and nature enthusiasts will find Dongchuan Red Land a must-visit, as it is deemed as one of the most magnificent Redlands. The Yunnan highland plateau is covered with massive redland resulting in it being praised as a palette on earth. Another interesting visit would be Kunming’s Horticultural Expo Garden which showcases the theme of ‘Man and Nature, marching into the 21st Century’. Nature lovers would also love the Dian Lake, which has been given the nickname ‘Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland’.
The Lijiang Ancient Town and Dali Old Town are two places that will definitely attract history buffs. Lijiang Ancient town has a history of over 800 years which dates back to the Song Dynasty and Dali Old Town has unique architecture and the different cultures of China’s minority tribes who live there. Also experience Tibetan heritage and view the gorgeous countryside in near isolation when you visit the area of Shangri-La, which is also known as Zhongdian. Shangri-La got its name from the author James Hilton’s novel ‘The Lost Horizon’, where the characters of his fiction novel lived for centuries in Shangri-La; as well as from the local Khampa Tibetans who claim that the word Shangri-La is derived from their word for paradise – ‘Shambala’.
Apart from the exciting sightseeing attractions, Kunming also offers a wide variety of local cuisine and shopping options. Kunming specialties such as the wax print, produced by minority tribes; Sani handbag, a specialty among the Sani ethnic group of Yunnan are available among other things. Great places to visit for shopping include the Luosiwan International Trade City at the Guangdu District, Jingxing Street Bird-Flower Market and Kunming Farmer’s Market.
Guests are encouraged to pre-book their check-in baggage allocation online along with their flight bookings as they are able to save up to 66% as compared to checking-in their bags over the airport counter.
For more updates on AirAsia’s latest innovations, as well as promotions, activities and contests, connect with them via Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) or Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).
*Promo Fares include airport taxes and fees (all in fares). Flights and fares are subject to availability and are for one way travel only.
