KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia is set to fly to Quanzhou city in China's southeastern Fujian province with a daily direct service from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur commencing May 1, the airline announced on Monday.

AirAsia Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Riad Asmat said the Kuala Lumpur-Quanzhou service further grows its footprint of unique destinations in China and provides greater accessibility to Malaysian and Chinese travelers.

"AirAsia has been championing connectivity to China's secondary cities such as Guilin, Shantou and Nanning. As we continue to expand in China, we look forward to exploring opportunities to connect our other secondary hubs in Malaysia to China as well," he said in a statement.

Once one of the world's biggest ports and the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou was known to Arab traders as Zaiton and was praised by Marco Polo as "one of the two greatest havens in the world for commerce," the airline said in the statement.

It added that as a destination, Quanzhou was ideal for tourism being a melting pot of diverse cultures and religions.