The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Riza Lozada
Major Russian carriers, including Aeroflot, will be used as platform for the marketing of the “More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Some 40,000 Russians visit the country annually, according to government data.
“We are confident that the new arrangements will help us meet our targets for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),” Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. said.
The CIS includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
Bengzon said “an increased chance of getting a bigger share of the market” from Russia and CIS is expected after Philippines carriers were allowed to conduct operations between any point in the Philippines and three destinations in Russia, including Moscow.
Last month in Moscow, Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla and his counterpart, Sergey Seskutov, signed an amendment to the 2009 Philippine-Russia Air Services Agreement paving the way for cooperation on travel, cargo and logistics through air transport between both countries.
“Travelers between the Philippines and Europe and North America will benefit from faster and more competitively priced direct flights with the use of Russian airspace,” said a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The DOT reported that international arrivals for the first five months this year reached a total of 2.23 million visitors, 8.15 percent higher from the year-ago figure of 2.06 million arrivals.