AirAsia and CLS Holiday inspire HKers to go on a 'no-clue escape'

AirAsia has partnered with CLS Holiday, a new brand under Flyagain Travel, to launch a blind box-style tour package that allows Hongkongers to book a trip to a mystery destination. 

The partnership comes as AirAsia discovered that Hong Kong residents have shown a strong desire to travel, citing data from reports such as Bloomberg and The Straits Times that they made 49.5 million outbound trips in the first half of 2024, marking a 72.5% increase compared to the previous year. 

Also known as the “‘No Clue Escape’ tour” (「唔知去邊亞」旅行團), the campaign is scheduled to take place from 20 to 24 September. While Flyagain Travel has previously organised special tour experiences such as the "Bus sleeping" tour in 2021, the campaign concept is designed to surprise travellers with an unknown destination.

Terence So, head of marketing for Hong Kong and Macau, AirAsia, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the collaboration marks the launch of Asia's first travel experience of this kind. The campaign aims to showcase AirAisa’s extensive network of over 130 destinations.

It also seeks to promote its brand image of a fun, innovative, friendly, open culture, which is aligned with the message of "Small win, big happiness”(喜細飛). It targets the mass public who dare to fly with AirAsia to this unknown destination’ travel experience.

Recruitment for the tour began on 19 August, with a fee of HK$4,888 per person. This covers airfare with a 20kg baggage allowance, accommodations, meals, and local transport.

Meanwhile, AirAsia and CLS Holiday keep the destination and itinerary confidential from participants, from the moment of registration until departure. Clues that can reveal the destinations remain hidden until they are in the sky, aiming to add an element of excitement to the journey. Interested participants can register for the tour via WhatsApp, while quotas are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. 

According to So, the campaign is being promoted through influencers, media, and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Thread. To further engage the audience, the campaign features more sustainable activities, such as invitations, engagement games, tactical offers of specific non-direct destinations, in-flight reveals of the final destination, and a series of content including influencer posts and videos.

"We’ve observed a strong desire for travel among Hong Kong residents, whether it’s direct flights or connecting through Southeast Asia to other destinations. As a low-cost airline consistently ranked among the Skytrax world’s best for 15 years, we eagerly anticipate this bold collaboration with CLS Holiday,” So said. 

“Embodying the spirit of 'Small win, big happiness', we hope to bring our travellers surprises. It allows everyone to explore travel pleasures within a small budget while enjoying high value-for-money services. Of course, we want to stimulate our target audience to fly further with AirAsia!” So added.

Frankie Chow, founder of Flyagain, said: "Drawing inspiration from international airlines' 'blind box flights,' where the destination remains a mystery until a certain point, I envisioned this element of surprise for Hong Kong. Why not give it a shot?”

“I extend my gratitude to AirAsia for their collaboration. The airline's youthful, daring, and playful brand persona, coupled with their flight attendants' exceptional singing and dancing talents, perfectly aligns with our vision. My choice to partner with AirAsia stems from their recent streak of innovations, which includes not just upgrades to the airline's infrastructure but also the introduction of exciting new destinations, adding to the thrill of our tours,” Chow added. 

Don’t miss: AirAsia unveils claw machines in HK and MY as part of 'free seats' campaign

Back in June, AirAsia introduced a giant claw machine in Hong Kong and Malaysia to celebrate its highly anticipated "Free seats" campaign, which is offering 10 million promotional seats to over 130 destinations. 

Also known as "夾啱你個vibe, have a free flight", the campaign enabled travellers in the region to explore regions such as Da Nang, Pattaya, Medan, Guwahati, Siem Reap and more for free, effectively driving tourists to these areas.

Related articles:

AirAsia unveils claw machines in HK and MY as part of 'free seats' campaign
AirAsia MOVE debuts with refreshed app look
AirAsia targets Millennials and Gen Zs with free seats campaign