Tony Fernandes named Tourism Personality Best Tourism Transportation Award for AirAsia

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes (far left), accepting the Tourism Personality of the Year award from Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Ab Ghaffar A Tambi (second from left). Accompanying them are Managing Director of Kumpulan Karangkraf Sdn. Bhd., Dato’ Hussamuddin Yaacob (second from right) and Libur Magazine Editor, Azli Halim (far right).

AirAsia received another recognition when AirAsia Group CEO, Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes was named Tourism Personality of the Year at the Libur Tourism Awards 2008 held in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday. The Awards was organized by Libur, a Malay language travel magazine.

The Tourism Personality Award was aimed at honouring organizations and individuals for their endeavors in promoting and developing the country’s tourism industry.

AirAsia was also recognized with the Best Tourism Transportation Award in the airline category, for its contribution in transporting millions of tourists each year into Malaysia. With its extensive network in South East Asia with over 100 routes and covering over 60 destinations, the airline has carried over 55 million passengers since it started operations in 2001.

Dato’ Sri Tony in his acknowledgement speech said, “We always see Malaysia as an important tourist destination. When we first started, we made every effort to bridge all places in Malaysia by setting up an extensive domestic network. There are various places of interest that this country offers, so it is very important to provide easy access and of course, affordable fares, so that tourists will be motivated to return for their holidays.”

“AirAsia has garnered multiple awards internationally, but nothing beats the recognition given by our local tourism industry as it a mark of acknowledgement to our efforts for Malaysia, which will definitely inspire us further, as an ASEAN airline, to bring Malaysia to the forefront as one of the best travel destinations in the world,” he concluded.

The awards were presented by Datuk Ab Ghaffar A Tambi, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, representing Minister Dato’ Sri Azalina Othman Said.

With AirAsia X, a long-haul low-cost airline as its subsidiary, it provides additional links to Malaysia for tourists from Australia, China and Europe, contributing to the already solid passenger traffic into the country via the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).