MANILA, Philippines - More than 100 Russian tourists were flown into the country by a chartered flight of Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday.
The visitors, who were seen wearing floppy summer hats and tropical attire upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, swayed to the beat of Russian songs rendered by the Banda Kawayan of the Department of Tourism (DOT) throughout their flight.
They immediately headed to PAL’s domestic terminal for connecting flights to Cebu and Boracay, where they will spend most of their vacation.
PAL’s chartered flight was historical for Philippine tourism as air links were established to Far East Russia.
It was the first in a series of chartered flights of the flag carrier that will run until April next year to boost tourist arrivals.
The chartered flights will be done in partnership with Primorsky Agency of Aviation Companies TM Biletur, the biggest tour company in Far East Russia.
Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. earlier said the facilitation of charter programs from Far East Russia, which is only four and a half hours away from Manila, is one of the key strategies to catalyze growth.
“Russia is a priority market because it is seen to contribute to the 10 million target of international visitors by 2015,†he said.
Data from the DOT showed that 21,736 Russians visited the Philippines from January to August this year, an increase of 32.53 percent over the same period last year.
In a statement, PAL president Ramon Ang said the company recognizes the growing demand from Russian tourists for a direct air link to the Philippines.
“Through this service, we hope to be able to serve this market and more importantly, help our government’s efforts to boost tourism,†Ang said.
Uni-Orient Travel is the Philippine ground handler for most of the passengers of the chartered flight.
Benito Techico, president and CEO of the company, said the chartered flight makes a lot of difference because the Russian Far East is a new tourism territory for the Philippines. “We hope this will create a snowball effect which will eventually bring in more tourists to the Philippines,†he said.
The first chartered flight from Vladivostok departed the Russian city at 8 a.m. local time and arrived in Manila at 9:30 a.m. yesterday.
The return flight will leave Manila at 11 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, the next chartered flight from Vladivostok is expected on Nov. 8.
From Manila, Russian visitors can fly out to PAL’s domestic destinations including Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Puerto Princesa and Legaspi. They can also connect to the carrier’s regional and international hubs.