Get to Banwa Private Island via Ascent Flights Global

Banwa Private Island, a white-sand island in Northeast Palawan, has partnered with Ascent Flights Global to offer safe, private travel. The partnership will offer guests a curated and seamless travel bubble for on-demand private flights using seaplanes, helicopters and private jets as needed.

Source: Banwa Private Island. Banwa Private Island has partnered Ascent Flights Global to offer guests safe, private transport to their accommodation.

Ascent will offer guests the options of taking a 1 hour and 45-minute seaplane flight from Manila, seating up to eight and landing directly in front of Banwa Private Island's house reef.

Alternatively, guests can take a 10-seater helicopter from Manila Ninoy Airport or one of Palawan's three commercial airports: San Vicente, Puerto Princesa or El Nido across the Sulu Sea - to land on Banwa Private Island's heli-lawn.

Ascent also offers both domestic and international arrivals by private jets, be it in Manila or Clark for onward journey with any of their aircraft, or directly to either San Vicente or Puerto Princesa airports. Ascent’s bespoke services include ground handling with meet and greet arrangements, inter-airport transfers, exclusive lounge services and immigration fast-tracking.

Peter Nilsson, CEO of Banwa Private Island said: “We found a great partner in Ascent with our shared goal to deliver exceptional, personalised and intimate guest experiences to our affluent clientele. Our utmost priority is the genuine care and well-being of our guests from their chartered flight to their holiday experience in our informal and intimate island sanctuary. Personal safety and handcrafted travel experiences have become even more important in the luxury travel landscape as we gear up towards the Philippines' borders reopening to international travel."

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, founder and CEO of Ascent added: “Banwa Private Island’s vision of an enhanced experience by air between Banwa Private Island’s guests’ home, and its remote delicate environment, is dear to us. With this partnership, guests’ experience now starts with a seamless and private bubble. Ascent's dedicated solution for Banwa Private Island, brings a holistic journey by air, like no other, beyond motion. With best-in-class air operations on fuel-efficient aircraft, Banwa Private Island’s guests elevate their journey with peace of mind”.

Located in Northeast Palawan, Banwa Private Island features high-privacy accommodation in lush landscaping and white sands.

Explore:

Contact reservations@banwaprivateisland.com to book a villa.

Air and land transfer bookings are available through emailing banwa@ascent.flights.

Etihad, TCA Abu Dhabi and Miral join hands to promote Abu Dhabi as a destination of choice

Etihad Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), and also with Miral Asset Management (Miral), which oversees the development and management of a range of hospitality, sports, entertainment, retail and leisure destinations on Yas Island. The two MOUs will cement stronger ties between the three parties, and promote the global appeal of Abu Dhabi as a year-round tourist, business and cultural destination.

The exclusive partnership will see the three parties drive the growth of inbound destination and stopover tourism to Abu Dhabi by joining forces on various strategic activities including co-branded marketing and communication, market intelligence and data exchange, loyalty and affinity programmes, and business and leisure events within the Emirate and around the world.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Today we sign our joint commitment to make Abu Dhabi the best destination brand in the world. This unique and important partnership between the national airline, TCA Abu Dhabi and Miral will boost Abu Dhabi’s image exponentially. As the national airline, we continue to foster mutually beneficial relationships with the leading drivers of growth and progress in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.”

Etihad Airways will coordinate more closely with TCA Abu Dhabi across a range of disciplines and targeted B2B and B2C programmes, and will continue to grow the established and successful Essential Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Now and Access Abu Dhabi trade and consumer programmes.

Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director Tourism, TCA Abu Dhabi, said: “2016 will see many more guests coming to our warm and welcoming home, and enjoying all the exciting vacation and business opportunities it has to offer.”

Miral and Etihad Airways will enter into a close destination-driven relationship in which Hala Abu Dhabi, the airline’s destination management subsidiary, will be providing a wide range of tourism, marketing and distribution services, including product development, global distribution and digital capabilities.

Mohamed Al Zaabi, Chief Executive Officer of Miral, said: “Abu Dhabi is a world-leader in state-of-the-art leisure, business and sporting facilities, and nowhere is this more evident than on Yas Island. Together, we will increase in-market trade cooperation, international branding exercises, media and loyalty programmes, as well as education and PR strategies."

Previous collaborative work between Etihad Airways and TCA Abu Dhabi has yielded highly successful global campaigns such as the Travellers Welcome campaign and the Abu Dhabi golf and MICE programmes.

Air Asia offers free Penang travel guide

Budget airline Air Asia has published a travel guide for the island of Penang that can be downloaded for free.

Source: Air Asia e-DM.

Penang in Malaysia is well known for its unique cuisine, UNESCO World Heritage-listed George Town, and Peranakan culture. The guide can help event organisers plan visits there, and covers:

• Food
• Art, Heritage, Crafts & Cafés
• Lifestyle & Nature
• Getting Around
• Calendar of Events

Download the guide here. Base fares for the four flights daily from Singapore to Penang, at the time of writing, cost S$5. The promotion ends 7 September.