Featured stories from TravelWeekly Asia: New marketing plan by six Greater Mekong Subregion countries, Hollywood star power for Emirates, debate on number of pilots in airlines
There’s life beyond Angkor Wat
The six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries – Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – have launched a new marketing plan “to help distribute the benefits of tourism more widely”.
A strategic objective of the plan is to promote secondary destinations and encourage multi-country itineraries, especially those with themes of community-based tourism and river-based tourism, as well as local cuisine, and cultural appreciation.
A touch of Hollywood on Emirates
Emirates has nabbed one of Hollywood’s most sought after actresses – Jennifer Aniston – to helm its latest global marketing effort to showcase its onboard shower and bar.
The global ad opens with Aniston looking frantically for the onboard shower and lounge but being mocked and ridiculed by the cabin crew. It turns out to be a nightmare as she wakes up to reality in her own private suite in the Emirates first class cabin before getting acquainted with the airline’s A380 shower spa and onboard lounge.
Why one pilot in the cockpit is a bad idea
The death of an American Airlines captain during a flight from Phoenix to Boston has reignited the debate over whether airlines will one day cut back to just one human pilot, augmented by an advanced “Flight Management System.”
According to Forbes, an FMS is best thought of as an “autopilot” on steroids, capable not only of keeping the flight straight and level but guiding it all the way to a safe landing without human intervention, even in challenging conditions.
