By Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines–As the 21-day visa-free travel from Russia to the Philippines begins to take effect, expect more Russians to come to the country. Such news would have caused massive hysteria during the Cold War.
Rather than be paralyzed with fear, the country’s major players in tourism, led by Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano, welcomed the development (which began Oct. 1) and even went as far as flying to Russia recently to join Leisure Moscow, dubbed as the biggest annual travel fair in the former Soviet Union.
To give the event its due importance, the Philippine team built one of the country’s biggest and most colorful tourism pavilions to date.
Splashed with giant wall-mounted photos of Philippine icons such as white-sand beaches and the tarsier, the kiping-festooned booth sat proudly in the center of a huge exhibit hall in Moscow, alongside bigger but less imaginative efforts by Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Leisure Moscow coincided with Luxury Leisure, a smaller, more targeted event held in another hall and aimed at Russia’s high-flying jet-setters. The Philippines had a smaller booth centered on wellness - complete with masseuses -to appeal to this group.
To add a dash of culture to the event, Durano brought with him members of the Bayanihan Dancers, who again succeeded in regaling and softening the hearts of even the most seemingly dour Muscovites.
Normandy landing
It was a back-to-back marketing blitz, as Durano and a smaller party flew later in the week to Deauville, a charming town in Normandy, France, to join another tourism Mecca dubbed as TopResa.
Wife Carmen and fellow Cebuano Eduardo Jarque Jr., undersecretary for tourism planning and promotions, accompanied Durano on both trips.
A similar, albeit smaller booth held its own among those of the competition in Deauville. This time, images of places the French hold dear such as Palawan and the Banaue rice terraces were plastered from one wall to another.
Palawan, particularly El Nido, has recently caught the attention of the French market after it became the setting of “Koh Lanta,” France’s answer to “Survivor.” Hosted by Denis Brogniart, the top-rated reality TV show featured Palawan for an entire season earlier this year.
Durano deemed the twin efforts vital given the fact that France and Russia are currently two of the leading sources of inbound travelers from Europe.
Prized market
Although Europe makes up a mere 9 percent of the country’s tourism market, it remains a prized source, especially in the case of Russians, who are known to stay longer and splurge as they hop from “paradise to paradise.”
Not only are Philippine beaches more pristine and scenic than those in Phuket and Bali, the country’s tour operators offer one thing others don’t: multiple beach packages from one island to another that allow tourists a host of unique experiences and attractions.
The entry of new airlines such as SEAir and the dramatic increase in the number of world-class rooms (24,000 as of last count) have made island hopping possible.
As Durano aptly put it: The reasons to visit the Philippines are perhaps as numerous as the 7,107 islands that make up the entire archipelago. And to give tourists a semblance of city life, these packages usually include either Manila or Cebu City in the mix.
“By 2010, we’re projecting an increase in tourist arrivals from three million to five million,” Durano added. “Hopefully, Europe’s share would have increased to 15 percent by then.”
Before he assumed the post three years ago, tourism arrivals barely scraped the two-million mark. Durano attributed the 50-percent increase primarily to “selective” overseas promotions done on a relatively shoestring budget.
While the likes of Malaysia and Singapore spend untold sums on sleek ads via global media outlets, the Philippines has been more creative and discerning in appealing directly to markets that matter most through these travel fairs.
“It’s all about presence,” said Efren Belarmino, GM of Plantation Bay Resort and Spa. “Even if you have the best resort, tour operators tend to forget about you if you don’t join these shows.”
It was Cebu-based Plantation Bay’s second year to join Leisure Moscow, and Belarmino couldn’t be happier.
“This year is definitely much better in terms of attendance and inquiries generated,” he said.
Russian guest officer
In fact, to recognize the Russian market’s importance, Plantation Bay is the first and so far the only local resort to hire a Filipino- and English-speaking Russian guest services officer.
Ivan Spencer Lim, GM of the newly refurbished Dos Palmas Resort and Spa in Palawan, mirrored Belarmino’s optimism.
“We’ve done Korea and China before,” said Lim. “But this is our first time to promote in Russia. In spite of the distance and the Moscow traffic, the trip is worth it.”
Oddly enough, no one seemed to know or had bothered to ask Lim about the kidnapping incident in Dos Palmas in 2001. All they cared about were the resort’s facilities and marine attractions.
“We didn’t change our name in an attempt to hide what happened,” said Lim. “We’ve beefed up security measures, but what makes me bullish is the fact that we have a very good product to offer.”
Indeed, the private sector has responded to DOT’s efforts by investing close to $3 billion in hotel and resort development in various parts of the Philippines. If we’re to achieve our dream of welcoming five million tourists by 2010, said Durano, the country needs to double its room and air capacities within the next two to three years.
In recent years, DOT has also intensified so-called familiarization tours by inviting selected members of the foreign media to spend all-expense paid holidays here. Such investments have resulted in glowing travel stories that directly appeal to potential tourists.
“Our initial strategy was to create a short-term boost by promoting to such markets as China and Korea,” says Durano. “Now that tourism arrivals, together with our capacity to cater to them, is growing, we need to sustain business by going to the European markets.”
French fave
As far as Philippine tourism is concerned, France currently occupies the top spot in Europe, while Russia ranks sixth.
Not a few French tourists, particularly divers, have long favored spending their holidays here. But the inflow of tourists from Europe, especially France, was reduced to a trickle five years ago after the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a number of tourists, including Frenchmen, in Malaysia.
Through the years, France has slowly lifted its travel ban to the Philippines. While it still discourages its citizens from venturing into certain areas in Mindanao, the French government has given them the green light to visit such destinations as Manila, Banaue, Cebu, Boracay, Bohol and Palawan.
But nothing excites Durano more these days than the likely deluge of Russian tourists to the country as a direct result of visa-free travel. Instead of flying to Moscow to get a visa, Russians from eastern cities like Vladivostok can now fly directly to Manila via Korea or China.
“The growth of the Russian market has been phenomenal,” said Durano. “The number of Russian tourists has tripled from 4,000 three years ago to 12,000 as of today.”
This newfound relationship between the two nations didn’t escape the notice of Russian tourism officials.
Apart from delivering a short speech (the only tourism official from a foreign country to do so), the barong-clad Durano, together with several Russian bigwigs, cut the ribbon to mark the travel fair’s official opening. He also received an award the next day for best in marketing efforts.
“Most Russians travel with their families and stay for an average of seven to 10 days,” said Belarmino. “And they really spend! What more can you ask?”
Yes, as if in answer to Sting’s question in his poignant hit song, the Russians love to travel with their children, too.
October 18th, 2007 at 8:22 am
We are being invaded for pre-WW3! Send them back to their snow lands!!