Jetstar Asia, recently voted Asia’s best low cost carrier by Skytrax, has been named Official Airline of Asia’s most renowned gay party, Nation. The event will be held from October 20 to 22, 2006 in Phuket, Thailand, and will feature popular DJs from the US, Australia, and Asia, including celebrated DJs Chus & Ceballos from Spain.

Organised by Fridae, which also operates Asia's largest gay and lesbian internet portal, the sixth annual event has grown from a small celebration in a disused theme park in Singapore, to an international festival of gay and lesbian pride attracting thousands from all around the world. In 2004, the international press dubbed it "Asia's largest gay party."

Nation was held in Phuket for the first time in 2005, attracting over 2,000 partygoers. It was the first visit to Phuket for many of the punters, who promised it won't be their last. "This was an unforgettable experience - you can be sure I'll be back with my friends next year," said Matthew Lee from Hong Kong.

Following the success of Nation in 2005, Governor Udomsak of Phuket promised that "Fridae, Nation, and all your guests are welcome in Phuket. We look forward to seeing you again in 2006."

This will be the third partnership between Jetstar Asia and Fridae, the first two having been the successful parties in Bangkok (Squirt, April 2006) and Taipei (Snowball, December 2005).

Said Paul Daff, Head of Commercial for Jetstar Asia, "We are thrilled to partner with Fridae, Asia’s best known gay brand and the Nation party, one of the top events of its kind in Asia.”

For the first time, guests can fly on an exclusive flight which has been blocked out for guests jetting into Phuket for Nation. The exclusive flights, which can only be booked through Fridae, will depart Singapore on 19 and 20 October and return from Phuket on 24 and 26 October.

"Gays and lesbians are discerning and experienced travellers, but are also always on the look out for a great deal. Fridae is pleased to partner with Jetstar Asia, which excels in all areas of service and value. With attendance at this year's party expected to be double that of 2005, we anticipate the demand for the flights to be very high!" Said Stuart Koe, CEO of Fridae.

Marketers worldwide believe gay tourists individually spend more than general tourists. According to Thailand’s Nation newspaper last year, an official from the Phuket Tourism Association estimated that the Nation.V partygoers spent a whopping Bt30 million (USD 783,600) in the province. The host hotel for the event, the Crowne Plaza Karon Beach Phuket – along with the nearby Baan Karon Buri Resort and the Karon Princess Hotel – were fully booked over the weekend. This year, the event will be hosted by the 650-room Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, which is the largest hotel in Phuket.

The Nation parties are supported by the local government in Phuket and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

"We saw a marked increase in the number of international visitors who arrived in Phuket over the Nation weekend last November. The event generated a notable increase in tourist revenue and we look forward to the upcoming Nation in October, " said Suwalai Pinpradab, Regional Director of TAT.

Also being offered for the first time are private excursions where Nation partygoers can join exclusive day tours such as snorkeling/diving trips, island hops, spa experiences and bar trawls.

About Fridae
Fridae is a diversified media and services company implementing an integrated strategy that covers the Internet, Publishing and Events. As the gay media leader in Asia, Fridae provides unparalleled reach to the valuable, yet diverse and hard to reach gay and lesbian communities in the region.
 
Fridae's innovative online portal (www.fridae.com) harnesses the distribution power and reach of the Internet to provide products and services to more than 250,000 unique visitors each month and more than 200,000 registered members. Fridae Events include parties held around Asia such as NATION (named one of the Top 10 Gay Events in the World by DNA Magazine), SNOWBALL and SQUIRT offering companies valuable offline exposure and marketing opportunities. Past and present advertisers include Air NewZealand, Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Ford Motors, Mini Cooper, Subaru, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, Biotherm Homme, Dolce & Gabbana, Conrad, InterContinental, IBM, Motorola, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Visit Britain.