| James Kon |
KOREAN passengers arriving at the Brunei International Airport last Thursday were given a warm welcome by a ‘hadrah’ troupe, along with some gifts from Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines (RB).
Korea is now linked to Brunei through weekly flights on Thursdays and Sundays, which are the result of a joint collaboration between RB and Shining Tours.
This is the first chartered flight from Korea to Brunei, carrying a full load of 120 passengers.
James Park, the President of Sinar Tour Co Ltd, who was at the airport arrival hall to greet the passengers, said, “Eight years ago, a company attempted to conduct a chartered flight to Brunei, which only lasted a month.
“Our company, however, is here to stay in the long-term. We have two weekly chartered flights from Incheon to Brunei, and vice versa, which began on December 29.”
Group photo of some of the Korean visitors with officials from Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines (RB). – JAMES KON
He attributes the success of those flights to mutual cooperation with Brunei Tourism, RB and The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Meanwhile, among the Korean passengers are 40 avid golfers who will be taking part in a few rounds on the course during their stay at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, including some night golf.
Salinah binti Salleh, the Head of Promotion and Marketing at the Tourism Development Department, said: “We are really excited about the first full chartered flight from Korea, and we are hoping that there will be more to come.
“We are working closely with the agents who are bringing in Korean visitors to Brunei, through the promotion of various packages.”
She also disclosed that luxury travel packages are popular in the Korean market.
The increase of chartered flights into Brunei is hoped to contribute to achieving Brunei Tourism’s target of a 10 per cent increase in visitors by air, from last year.
At the same time, Brunei Tourism has announced its objective to double the number of tourist arrivals by air from 218,000 in 2015 to 450,000 by 2020.
Based on statistics provided by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT), the top five countries with tourists to Brunei Darussalam are Malaysia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
On January 21, the first chartered flight from Xi’an arrived in Brunei, with 144 tourists keen on experiencing Bruneian hospitality.
The Xi’an-Brunei flights operate on Saturdays on a seasonal basis, and were established through the partnership between RB and the Beijing Longway International Travel Service.
“Chartered flights are just one way we can support Brunei Tourism’s objective,” said Brett McDougall, the Executive General Manager in Sales and Marketing at RB.
“Often, charters can lead to a new air route being added to the airlines network, and we are delighted to welcome these new visitors to Brunei.”
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