PH envoy hopeful that more flights will bring more Russian tourists to PH beaches

A Filipino diplomat is optimistic that more flights from Siberia to the Philippines will help bring more Russian tourists to popular beach destinations here in the country.

In an interview with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro, Philippine ambassador to Russia Igor Bailen said Russian tourists are interested in nations unfamiliar to them, like the Philippines.

He noted that there are a lot of Russian tourists visiting Bali and other parts of Indonesia, as well as in Thailand. He also cited the direct flights between St. Petersburg and Ho Chi Minh City and between Moscow and Hanoi in Vietnam.

“Now, ‘yung mga Russian, interesado rin naman sila kasi siyempre, gusto mo rin makita ‘yung ibang bansa na hindi sila pamilyar tulad ng Pilipinas,” Bailen said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is in Russia to co-chair the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit. He also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss food security and energy cooperation.

Bailen noted that last year, IrAero, a Siberian airline, began chartered flights from Irkutsk in Siberia and Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East to Kalibo, Aklan.

“And then so they can bring Russian tourists. Yes. Kasi alam naman natin malamig dito sa Russia. Gusto nilang makita ‘yung mga islands. Nakikita nila sa Thailand, maganda ang beach pero sinasabi namin, maganda rin ang beach namin sa Pilipinas,” Bailen said.

(And then so they can bring Russian tourists. Yes. Because we know it’s cold here in Russia. They want to see islands. They see that beaches in Thailand are beautiful, but we say that beaches in the Philippines are beautiful too.)

Bailen said Russian tourists are interested in popular beaches in Boracay and in El Nido, Palawan.

He added that S7 Siberian Airlines has applied with the Civil Aeronautics Board of the Philippines (CAAP) to launch flights from the cities of Irkutsk, Vladivostok and Kabarovsk to Manila and to Cebu.

“Inaasahan namin at na matutuloy na itong flights so that more Russian tourists will come to the Philippines to experience Philippine hospitality,” Bailen said.

(We hope and expect that these flights will push through so that more Russian tourists will come to the Philippines to experience Philippine hospitality.)

He said the Philippines is also looking at other non-traditional sources of tourism, apart from its usual sources of China, South Korea, and the United States.

“But there is the Russian market to be tapped. They are interested and they have the resources because alam po natin na compared to other countries, ang – ang Russians per capita and this is based on statistics, mas malaki sila gumastos in terms of tourism,” he added.

(But there is the Russian market to be tapped. They are interested and they have the resources because we know that compared to other countries, Russians per capita, and this is based on statistics, spend more in terms of tourism.) — JMA, GMA News