Pata heads to China

Luxury in the air

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, recently celebrated its inaugural Airbus A380 flight on its Abu Dhabi to London route. The flight also marked the debut of the airline’s new First Apartments, Business Studios and Economy Smart Seats, together with The Residence by Etihad – a three room suite with living room, bathroom and bedroom. The airline has placed an order for eight A380 aircraft.

 

Pata heads to China

Sichuan, China, will host the annual Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (Pata) summit from April 23-26. “New Dimensions of Heritage and Culture Tourism” is the theme and the summit will be exploring the preservation of heritage and cultural sites and attractions, while promoting and attracting an increased amount of tourism growth to a region. The programme will feature domestic and international speakers, on such topics as Preserving Heritage Sites, Social Media in China, and “The Conscious Traveller”. Visit www.pata.org/PAS2015

 

 A river runs through it

The Vietnamese town of Da Nang will also be talking tourism with the Mekong Tourism Forum 2015 taking place in the popular destination from June 16 to 19. Industry leaders from the leaders Greater Mekong Sub-region’s public and private sectors and regional development partners will be discussing tourism along Mekong River. This year’s topic is “Unlocking the Potential of the Mekong Region via Innovative Partnerships”.

 

Scoot goes Down Under

Scoot, the Singapore-based low-cost long-haul airline, is now in partnership with Virgin Australia to reach more destinations in Australia. With Virgin Australia on its wings, Scoot is expanding to 11 destinations across Australia – including Canberra, Cairns, Hobart, Launceston and Melbourne. The service is operated on Boeing 777-200ER. 

 

Food for thought

There is always room for airline food improvement. Recently Cathay Pacific have teamed up with Mandarin Oriental hotels to design in-flight menus and a range of delicious seasonal choices are soon be offered to First Class passengers travelling on Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo and Boston. Top chefs from various renowned Mandarin Oriental properties will each design menus with their own styles and characteristics.