AirAsia Philippines is proud to be the chosen airline for the three-day international business forum and diplomatic visit of ambassadors from ASEAN and other Asian nations to the beautiful island of Boracay.

The airline is committed to promoting Boracay as a top destination for tourists and investors while also protecting its unspoiled natural beauty.

The purpose of this event is to establish a forum for global collaboration and promote commercial and tourism partnerships for Boracay.

On Thursday, 18 April, Ambassadors Abdul Melvin Castelino of Malaysia, Megawati Mana of Brunei, Agus Widjojo of Indonesia, Lai Thai Binh of Vietnam, Phan Peuv of Cambodia, Sonexay Vannayay of Laos, Imtiaz Ahmad Kazi of Pakistan, Minn-Gan Chow of Taiwan, and other diplomatic staff will be traveling to Caticlan via AirAsia flight Z2217.

The municipal governments of Boracay and Aklan, corporate executives, stakeholders, and diplomats are expected to talk about topics like digital marketing, sustainable tourism, and collaborative potential.

AirAsia Phl CEO Ricky Isla, who is one of the panelists in the business forum, expressed his excitement about the forum and the opportunity to display first-hand the wonders of Boracay to the diplomatic community.

“As an ASEAN carrier, AirAsia takes pride in welcoming our ambassadors to Boracay. By flying our international leaders, we hope to contribute to promoting Boracay not just as a tourist destination but also as a potential foreign investment hub. This also cements AirAsia’s position as a market leader in airline operations in Boracay,” Isla shares.

Currently, AirAsia Phl flies Manila-Caticlan nine times daily, Clark-Caticlan daily, and Cebu-Caticlan three times weekly. This is on top of the three daily flights via Kalibo International Airport. 

“AirAsia is the preferred airline partner of guests traveling to Boracay because of its affordable fare, best deals with over 216 hotel partners through the AirAsia MOVE platform, and the world-class service it offers. All year round, the world’s best low-cost airline enjoys an average load factor of 90–95 percent, with over 300,000 seats sold in Q1 of 2024 alone. It is in fact the top-booked destination among all AirAsia routes,” Isla added.

To promote micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, AirAsia actively endorsed Boracay to leisure travelers amid the pandemic by transporting renowned personalities such as Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, Jodi Sta Maria, Vice Ganda, Arci Munoz, Christine Reyes, and Yeng Constantino, as part of its airline of the stars campaign.

Boracay received various awards from around the world, including inclusion in Time Magazine's list of the 50 World's Greatest Places, placing 18th in the 2023 World Beach Guide, winning the 5th Best Island Destination award from DestinAsian, taking third place in Condé Nast Traveler's 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards, and most recently being nominated for Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination in the 2024 World Travel Awards.