KUCHING, Malaysia, February 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Routes Asia, the largest route development forum for the entire Asia region, will take place in Kuching in the State of Sarawak, Malaysia from 9-11 March 2014. Routes Asia is the meeting place for around 800 delegates representing over 80 airlines, 250 airports and almost 60 countries. The hosting of one of Asia's most important civil aviation events is testimony of the growing importance of Kuching as an international air hub and destination.

Hosted by the State Government of Sarawak and co-hosted by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the forum is expected to attract around 100 leaders from the airports and airlines industries, tourism authorities and policy makers.

Datuk Amar Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Minister of Tourism, Sarawak, in announcing the event at a media briefing here, said, "The hosting of Routes Asia 2014 right after the success of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2014 in January augurs well for Kuching's future as an international air hub and destination. The attention being paid to Kuching and Sarawak in general with its unique combination of adventure with elements of nature and culture is long overdue."

"With an estimated 800 delegates including representation from over 80 airlines who are responsible for making decisions on both new and existing routes coming here, Kuching and Sarawak as a whole will go all out to attract more airlines to come here," he added.

According to Datuk Abang Zohari, "We believe that Sarawak is one of the great untapped destinations for airlines and we are certain that route-planners and revenue-optimisers will discover this truth at Routes Asia 2014. We are looking forward to the opportunity of showcasing our beautiful land, and its great potential for airlines."

Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of MAHB, added, "Routes Asia 2014 is an excellent opportunity for airlines to see for themselves the tremendous potential of Kuching, both as a travel treasure, and as a springboard into Borneo and beyond."

Along with the face-to-face Meetings which form the core of the event, Routes Asia 2014 will also see a series of Route Exchange Airline Briefings given by senior airline executives and the Routes Asia Strategy Summit which will see an impressive line up of senior industry executives. The Routes Asia Strategy Summit will cover some of the major topics affecting the Asia region, including "The Future of LCCs in Asia" and "Emerging Outbound Tourism Markets".

Speakers at the summit include Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, Andrew Cowen, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Express, Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, Director of Commercial, Malaysia Airlines and Vijay Poonoosamy, VP International Affairs Etihad amongst others.

Notes to Editors

About Routes

• Routes organises world-renowned airline and airport networking events through its regional and global Route Development Forums. Each year, there is one global event and one regional event in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and CIS respectively. http://www.routesonline.com

• Routes was founded in 1995 as part of the Manchester UK‐based ASM Ltd., a consultancy specialising in the field of route development for airports. http://www.asm-global.com. Routes and ASM are part of the UBM Live division of UBM plc.

• UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets.  Through premiere brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show, the Routes portfolio of events, Airport Cities and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors. http://www.ubmlive.com

Follow us on twitter: @Routesonline, @TheHUBRoutes, @VictoriaRoutes, @NLPROU, @airlineroute

About UBM plc

• UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company.  We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content.  Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

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SOURCE UBM Live Routes Ltd