{"id":18876,"date":"2024-10-19T15:22:16","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T09:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/?page_id=18876"},"modified":"2024-10-24T13:18:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T07:48:29","slug":"update-on-asian-trails-from-ceo-laurent-kuenzle","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/update-on-asian-trails-from-ceo-laurent-kuenzle\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on Asian Trails from CEO Laurent Kuenzle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19679 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-1024x748.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"424\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-1024x748.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-300x219.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-768x561.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-1536x1121.jpeg 1536w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681-411x300.jpeg 411w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-that-luang-adobestock_518009977-scaled-e1721965216681.jpeg 1975w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px\" \/><\/a>Dear Pulse Reader,<\/p>\n<p>The year is flying by, and is proving a very fruitful one for Asian Trails! Our destinations are also thriving once more, and developments in domestic infrastructure are also accelerating, especially in transportation and particularly the rail networks which have expanded rapidly in <span style=\"color: #f68b3a;\"><a style=\"color: #f68b3a;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/first-thai-laos-train\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">between Thailand and Laos<\/span><\/a><\/span>, and also new connections in Laos bridging the gap to China. Within Vietnam we&#8217;ve also seen the introduction of a<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> new luxury service from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19678 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"299\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941-300x169.jpg 300w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941-768x432.jpg 768w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941-533x300.jpg 533w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-chomphet-village-stone-carving-04-edit-scaled-e1727087920941.jpg 1447w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/a>Speaking of &#8220;flying by&#8221;, a new range of air routes into Asia is also encouraging interest in our destinations, with <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/airasia-unveils-new-routes\/\">AirAsia opening Bangkok-Hyderabad and Phuket-Siem Reap routes<\/a>; <a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/china-eastern-launches-new-china-italy-routes\/\">a new China-Italy route with China Eastern<\/a>; new flights on Laos-Myanmar route; direct flights from Madrid to Bangkok<\/span><strong>;<\/strong> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">new charter service linking Indonesia and Vietnam<strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Visa news has also been frequent and welcome, allowing more and more travellers to visit visa-free. Here&#8217;s a collection of the updates for quick reference:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/thailand-eases-visa-entry\/\"><span style=\"color: #f68b3a;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Thailand eases visa entry<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/visa-requirements-eased-until-december-2024\/\">Laos visa requirements eased until December 2024<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/china-visa-free-for-australia-new-zealand-poland\/\">China visa-free for Australia, New Zealand, Poland<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/china-visa-free-ports-added\/\">More ports added to China&#8217;s visa-free transit scheme<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Thailand visa waived for India and Taiwan<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Visa free entry to China for cruise groups<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">China extends visa-free travel for 12 countries<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We also welcomed news that <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Thailand chose to scrap a proposed additional tourism fee in June.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In product terms, our teams have also been very active and we have many exciting new options for our clients. I personally had the privilege of spending a week in Sumba, which <span style=\"color: #f68b3a;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">documented in a recent article here<\/span><\/span>. We&#8217;ve also introduced a <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">new range of Digital Trails in Kuala Lumpur<\/span>, expanding on our range already working successfully in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/digital-trails-routes\/\">Bangkok<\/a> <\/span>and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/latest-news\/digital-trails-routes\/\">Hanoi<\/a><\/span>.<a href=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19680 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-1024x715.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"333\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-1024x715.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-300x210.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-768x537.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-1536x1073.jpeg 1536w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660-429x300.jpeg 429w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/laos-vientiane-water-filter-csr-oct-2024_03-scaled-e1729152720660.jpeg 1550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Our <em>Explore<\/em> brochure series has expanded since our last Pulse update, with new editions covering <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/asiantrails\/docs\/asian_trails_-_explore_malaysia_2024-25?fr=sZmQ5YjcwMTg0NDc\">Malaysia<\/a>, <a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/asiantrails\/docs\/asian_trails_-_explore_laos_2024-25?fr=sZjM0NDcwMTg0NDc\">Laos<\/a><\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/asiantrails\/docs\/asian_trails_-_explore_indonesia_2024-25?fr=sNTBhYzcwMTg0NDc\">Indonesia<\/a> <\/span>to complement the <span style=\"color: #f68b3a;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/asiantrails\/docs\/asian_trails_-_explore_cambodia?fr=sOGZmOTcwMTg0NDc\">Cambodia<\/a>, Thailand, Vietnam<\/span>. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Explore China was released in August with Hong Kong and Singapore to follow in 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-18879\" src=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-300x169.jpg 300w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-768x432.jpg 768w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1-533x300.jpg 533w, http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/7cc18a33-23bd-8916-0cd0-33902f7a7f17-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In terms of CSR, our teams have been actively contributing time and resources to supporting local initiatives, such as <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">collecting waste in the Ma Da Forest area of Southern Vietnam, and providing access to clean water in Cambodia through our refillable water bottle initiative<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>In other news, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">we celebrated the opening of our branch office in Kota Kinabalu<\/span>, and our Vietnam team successfully <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">relocated to larger quarters in Saigon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In June, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">we held our AOGM in Bali<\/span>, with all Asian Trails top management, and the TCIL\u00a0 Group Chairman Madhavan Menon also in attendance.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, it&#8217;s my pleasure to welcome new additions to our top management. In Laos we <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">welcome Francois Guillot as our new GM<\/span>, while Emi Weir has also joined our Bangkok office as our new Sustainability Manager, replacing Ameer who we thank for helping us enhance our efforts in the sustainability area over the last 18 months.<\/p>\n<p>To stay up-to-date with all news from our Asian destinations, please do sign up to our monthly Trailblazer email, or follow one (or all) of our social media channels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiantrails.travel\/newsletter-registration\/\">Sign up for Asian Trails&#8217; Trailblazer monthly newsletter here<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/asiantrails\">Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/asian-trails\">Linked In<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/asiantrailsltd\">Instagram<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/asiantrailsltd\">X \/ Twitter\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Wishing all of our readers happy and sustainable trails!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-17835 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/lk-sq-150x150-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"216\" \/><strong>Laurent Kuenzle<\/strong><br \/>\nChief Executive Officer, Asian Trails<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Pulse Reader, The year is flying by, and is proving a very fruitful one for Asian Trails! Our destinations are also thriving once more, and developments in domestic infrastructure are also accelerating, especially in transportation and particularly the rail networks which have expanded rapidly in between Thailand and Laos, and also new connections in&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/update-on-asian-trails-from-ceo-laurent-kuenzle\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18876"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18876"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19728,"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18876\/revisions\/19728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}