AirAsia and ASEAN

Travel with your heart

Over the past decade and a half, AirAsia has grown from a really small (a couple of planes, half a dozen pilots and not many more of all the other staff) outfit to a major player in Asia and bringing down the price of airfares for all of us. From these humble beginnings in Malaysia, the airline has spread its wings internationally and currently has flights to all the ASEAN countries as well as China, Japan, Korea, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia.

Many of these flights are operated through associated AirAsia companies and now that travel has become more accessible to ‘we the masses’, more people are combining their love of travel with the wish to do something for the community when they do travel. Airlines are also making this easier and we wrote about the introduction of the Asean Pass offered by AirAsia and also by other airlines and groupings in the region.

AirAsia is currently offering a 10%discount for passengers booking from non-ASEAN countries (excluding Australia) when they fly in to one of the Asean countries from outside and travel onwards to ASEAN countries using an ASEAN Pass. The Passes are valid for either 30 or 60 days and the page is accessible in both English and Chinese.

AirAsia’s support for ASEAN entrepreneurs (and how you can help)

As part of their encouragement for travel and integration among the people of ASEAN, the AirAsia Foundation will be holding their inaugural Destination: GOOD Asean Social Enterprise on 7th November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur. This event, which marks Malaysia’s current Chairmanship of ASEAN, is an initiative seeking to showcase some of ASEAN’s most successful entrepreneurs and innovative social entrepreneurs at the conference.

Among the Social Enterprises supported by the AirAsia Foundation is Rags2Riches in the Philippines – a for-profit social enterprise based in Manila. Established in 2007, the company works with artisans from poor communities across the country to create eco-ethical fashion and home accessories using up-cycled scrap cloth, organic materials and indigenous fabrics.

The small village of Jagalan in the heritage enclave of Kotagede, not far from central Yogyakarta in Indonesia is home to Selaka Kotagede (The Sanctuary of Silversmiths). AirAsia Foundation has set up a collaboration with ArkomJogja, a non-profit organisation to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of Yogyakarta’s rich past. This will help to set up channels for the silversmiths to effectively market their wares and gain recognition and income in keeping with their skills.

The Cambodian Master Performers Program was created in 1998 to help redevelop the performing arts skills almost completely destroyed during the Khmer Rouge era. In 2009, the program became Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) and became an independent non-profit organisation in April 2014.  Why not use your ASEAN Pass to join a Cultural Delegation to see their work Siem Reap, Battambang and Phnom Penh.