As the capital city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China, Kunming has earnt a reputation as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. Known locally as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, in honour of its comfortable climate and flowers which are in bloom all year round.

Tourists are also drawn to Kunming for the richness of its history as the entrance to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route connecting Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar, India and the world beyond. Not to mention striking landmarks, such as Yuantong Temple (below), Dianchi Lake and the eerie Stone Forest (main image), found in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, 56 miles from Kunming.

Looking to build its presence in Southwest China and take advantage of the increasing interest in Yunnan from international tourists — which generated an uptick of 7.3%, rising to 5.7 million visitors in 2015 – AirAsia has introduced a new non-stop service from Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia, to Kunming, as of 30 November 2018.

The four times weekly direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to Kunming marks AirAsia Group’s fourth route into the capital of Yunnan province after Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand. It is also AirAsia’s 10th international route from its Kota Kinabalu hub.

AirAsia Malaysia CEO, Riad Asmat, said: “We are pleased to offer direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan. Kunming, known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, is known for its pleasant climate and blooming flowers all year round, and is the perfect gateway to Southwest China.

Asmat added: “This new route signals our commitment to expanding Kota Kinabalu as our hub in East Malaysia. We have launched three international routes from Kota Kinabalu this year to Bangkok, Macao and now Kunming. We are also doubling our flights from Kota Kinabalu to Shenzhen from 1 November 2018.

“We have carried more than 700,000 passengers travelling between China and Kota Kinabalu, and we are confident this new route will further boost visitor arrivals.”