Sanchez: No chicken feed

The presence of Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev as the guest of honor for the launching of the first Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival is most timely.

Khovaev foresees a potential for cooperation in the field of energy, arts and culture, and especially in the tourism industry. Da, not duh!

The ambassador also said he believes it is time to create sister ties between Bacolod and an interested city in Russia.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he had met the Russian ambassador many times and gave him an open invitation. He finally accepted the invitation to attend the Festival. While more than 50 million tourists a year, the City of Smiles received a minuscule number of Russian tourist arrivals, at 4,075.

So why are Negrenses supposed to get excited about the prospects? That number is chicken feed. Maybe not.

In the last century, the Americans or Japanese were the top tourism big spenders. Not anymore.

Chew on this. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), holiday expenditure increased in 2017 with Russian tourists listed as among the world’s top spenders.

Statistics showed continued strong demand for international tourism across all world regions, as Chinese tourists remained the biggest spenders last year with $258 billion spent.

Both emerging and advanced economies fueled growth, which was led by the United States. The world’s second-largest outbound market, the US spent $12 billion more on travel abroad.

Russian tourism rebounded after a few years of decline, up by 13 percent, to reach $31 billion. Russia has climbed three places to re-enter the top 10 at number eight.

“Emerging economies play a key role in tourism development and we are very pleased to see the rebound of the Russian Federation and Brazil, and the ongoing rise of India, as these key emerging outbound markets, contribute to growth and market diversification in many destinations,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

So there. To our new Russian friends; we greet you “Rat teebya veedet” (Nice to see you!) (bqsanc@yahoo.com)

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