PH taps Russian tourist market

THE Department of Tourism (DoT) sees Russia as a potential source of tourism revenue and expects more Russians to visit the Philippines after the agency promoted the country at the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT) from March 14 to 16.

“We have a great advantage compared to other countries because the Russians, including President Vladimir Putin, have a great respect for President Duterte and his peace and order drive, making the Philippines a safe place to visit,” DoT Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.

At the Moscow travel expo, the DoT promoted the Phil- ippines’ top tourist destinations such as Palawan, Boracay, Davao, and Siargao.

According to the DoT, it is taking an “aggressive approach” in selling the country to Russian travelers after some 28,000 Russians visited the Philippines in 2016.

“Russians spend more than others and they stay for an average of two weeks with their families in the Philippines,” Teo said.

The DoT also conducted a Tourism Selling Mission in Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, last March 17.

Based on United Nations World Tourism Organization data in 2015, Russia is the world’s sixth biggest outbound market in terms of expenditure, spending $35 billion abroad.