LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Lift your spirits and beat the pandemic fatigue with a much deserved out-of-town trip. Travel to top local destinations with ease with a trusted airline like AIRSWIFT

Istart seeing people I haven’t seen in two years. People are kissing and hugging once again. Malls are filling up. Cars are on the streets. Flights are resuming pre-pandemic routes. All of these signal that things are getting back to normal. It is clear that our attitudes are more positive. The smiles I see on people’s faces every day give me a sense that the worst is over. Revenge travel is upon us. More and more people have been going in and out of the country. It is almost summer and we want to help our local tourism rise up again, better and bolder than it was before. Old and new resorts and restaurants are opening up. There are also more local flights. Flights to Ilocos Norte, for example, went from twice a week to five. Airline Airswift’s one flight a day also increased to five. More importantly, restrictions have eased up enabling more people to travel.

Lifestyle Asia has always been committed to help local tourism and share to the world how beautiful our country is. In our March issue, we have shot our cover in the world renowned and voted best beach by Condé Nast, El Nido, Palawan, a gem that we are all lucky to have and share with everyone. With powdery sands, pristine waters, breathtaking lagoons, picturesque limestone formations, and rich biodiversity, El Nido is something to behold.

I have fully immersed myself in its beauty, and its culture, the community that developed there, and I tell myself, this is a place where I can retire. Of course, the Philippines has so much to offer: Boracay, Bohol, and Ilocos Norte are just among the places we can rediscover and many more non-popular places we can still aim to see and experience.

We are proud to have in our cover, the biggest star of this generation, Anne Curtis. She is a darling to many, and a friend I have known years back. Her smile is enchanting as ever and her warm presence still leaves a mark with whoever she meets.

The past two years she focused on family, raising her cute pretty daughter Dahlia Ameli Heussaff, and growing her business. Motherhood changed her for the better, allowing her to refocus on what matters most and growing as a person. Her new life is refreshing while she took a break from showbiz, but she’s back. We are lucky to have been the one to announce her comeback, share her inspiring journey and her future plans.

As our theme is about travel (“See you there”) allow us to be your cue to go out and start exploring again. See the Philippines. For sure, many missed riding the plane, seeing the beaches, enjoying sunsets by the shore, sipping margaritas in the afternoon, and enjoying water activities.

In this issue, we share the stories of Jean Henri Lhuillier, who has been massively expanding in the hospitality business. There are also Paj Rodriguez of Air Taxi and Audrey Ngui of Airtrav, both of whom have seized the opportunity of private planes traveling to your favorite destinations.

Paris based summer dresses and resort wear Filipina designer Charina Sarte has penetrated international department stores, Saks Fifth, Bloomingdale's, and Le Bon Marche. Niño Barbers, featured in our Meaningful Life, is leading efforts to rebuild Siargao and rise up again. These are just some of the inspiring stories that we want to share this month.

Now that we are getting back to normal, or should I say the new normal, I wish everyone that this brings in new hope for us to be better than we were. Let us all rise up again, better and bolder toward a more meaningful life.

“It is clear that our attitudes are more positive. The smiles I see on people’s faces every day give me a sense that the worst is over"

officially one of the world's best islands, El Nido has always been a popular favorite among local and international tourists. Its stunning lagoons, towering limestone cliffs, and glasslike waters set the mood for a wonderful city escape. With an abundance of natural beauty and modern comforts—hotels, resorts, spas, and restaurants; one will never tire of enjoying what El Nido has to offer.

As local travel restrictions have eased, Filipino travelers of all ages can once again enjoy the majestic beauty of El Nido through a direct flight from Manila, Cebu and soon from Boracay, Coron, Bohol, and Clark—an interisland flight service that AIRSWIFT Airlines is proud to offer.

SAFETY FIRST

Even with the excitement brought about by the easing of travel restrictions for local and foreign tourists, AIRSWIFT is extra mindful of always giving its passengers a comfortable and secure experience.

An experienced boutique commercial airline, AIRSWIFT has always upheld the highest standards in quality, safety, and security in aviation services. This level of commitment to excellence is something that it continues to uphold as it operates in the new normal through regular flights to select local island destinations like Boracay and El Nido.

AIRSWIFT is able to provide a seamless end-to-end travel experience. The airline does not take care of the flight alone but they also want the whole travel experience to be safe and worry-free. Taking off from the company’s mission, they want the vacation to start with us, not just when you get to your destination.

Once guests arrive at the airport, AIRSWIFT will welcome them with their very own complimentary AIRSWIFT safety kit. This special travel kit includes a surgical mask, wipes, and 70 percent solution alcohol.

Aside from passenger safety, AIRSWIFT also ensures that its crew are well taken care of by providing them with the appropriate PPES. The ground and airport crew are regularly tested through antigen/rt-pcr depending on the circumstances.

The health and wellness of our personnel are important because we cannot continuously perform our duties to our passengers if our own employees are not protected. The rest of course are the standard cleaning and disinfection using hospital-grade chemicals every after each flight.

All of our procedures have changed to work around this new normal and to still be able to perform our services as committed to our passengers.

AMAZING EL NIDO

AIRSWIFT partners with local businesses to help people get reacquainted with this island paradise while also supporting local businesses in this trying time.

The company believes that we all need to be inclusive in these difficult times. The only way to survive this pandemic is if we all work together to promote our destinations and support the communities we are in.