MORE than half a million Russian tourists can be expected to visit Cebu during Christmas and Sinulog if the plan to establish a direct flight between Cebu and Vladivostok in the Russian Far East comes to fruition.
This was disclosed by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama during a press conference held on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, which was also attended by Russian Honorary Consul Armi Lopez Garcia.
Rama, Garcia, and Cebu City officials that included City Administrator Collin Rosell, City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo, City Tourism Commissioner Cinbeth Orellano and City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera flew to Vladivostok on Sept. 8 to attend a three-day economic forum and to sign a sister-city agreement.
A direct flight will not only cut travel time between Cebu and Vladivostok from the current 15 hours to five hours, but will also stimulate economic growth not only in Cebu but in the whole country.
The mayor said he will connect with major airline operators in the country and the National Government to ensure the plan will materialize, adding that he will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if need be.
Garcia, for her part, said she met with members of the Federal Air Transport Agency, a government agency in Russia responsible for overseeing its civil aviation industry, in June, and was told that Aeroflot, the flag carrier and Russia’s largest airline, has signified its intention to fly directly to the Philippines.
She said Russia has long, cold winters and many Russians want to go on vacation in countries with a much warmer climate like Thailand and Vietnam, which have recorded an annual average of 1.5 million and 800,000 Russian tourists, respectively.
She said that in her 16-year stint as honorary consult of the Russian Federation, the highest number of Russian visits recorded in the country was only 50,000.
“When we were there, we showed them about Cebu and they were very excited that they even want to come here, but the challenge that will be hurdled are the direct flights,” she said.
During their trip to Vladivostok, the Cebu delegation had to make stopovers in Manila, Beijing in China and Novosibirsk in Russia.
Meanwhile, Garcia said the tourism, transportation and hotel and restaurant sectors will benefit from direct flights since Russians are known for being long-staying tourists.
“The job opportunity for all of us, from taxi drivers, dive shops tour operators, everybody. We can benefit,” she said.
A direct flight will also boost trade between Cebu and Vladivostok, which is a port city, she said.
She said Cebu boasts an excellent international port, and Vladivostok is conveniently close to Cebu.
This proximity, she said, makes it the ideal gateway for selling and promoting Cebu products to the entire Russian market through Vladivostok.
The country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, when sought for comment said “they will continue to assess and review network opportunities,” especially since Russia is not a new market to serve.
PAL spokersperson Cielo Villaluna on Tuesday said PAL had charter flights between Vladivostok and Manila in 2013 to allow Russian tourists to fly to island destinations like Boracay, but the charter arrangement had a limited run.
PAL said when mounting direct flights or regular commercial flights, the airline looks at passenger demand, aircraft availability to serve the route and long-term viability.
Cebu logged 1,496 Russian tourists in 2022. (JJL, KOC, WBS)