CEBU CITY – Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines Adnan Basaga said he will convince leading airline operators in Turkey to start operating routes between their country and the Philippines upon finalization of the Civil Aviation Agreement (CAA) between the two nations.
“I’ll do my best to convince Turkish airlines to fly to the Philippines. We are now in the stage of finalizing (the CAA) but the most important part is to fulfill the CAA and then build on the commercial talks between airline companies,” he said in an interview.
He bared Turkish airline representatives have already started visiting Manila to explore feasible flight opportunities between Turkey and the Philippines.
One positive outcome of the visit, Basaga noted, was the establishment of a Turkish airline ticketing office in Manila.
“Turkish airlines fly to most key destinations in the world but not to the Philippines. I see great opportunities here, especially in the facilities. The Filipinos can use the hub-point of Istanbul as a gateway to Europe through direct flights from Manila,” the ambassador said.
“It doesn’t matter whether its Philippine airlines or Turkish airlines that comes first but as long as there is a direct flight. I hope that before I leave the Philippines, I will receive a Turkish airline in (my office in) Manila,” he added.
Basaga said Turkey could very well capitalize on the growing tourism industry of the Philippines and opening a direct or even a chartered flight here could jumpstart more economic cooperation between the two countries.
“Tourism, in this day, is one of the main keys in putting nations together and understanding each other,” he said.
In the area of tourism, Cebu plays many advantages, said Basaga, citing the hospitality of Cebuanos, good command of the English language and the availability of international flights here.
Cebu’s tourist destinations, especially its hotel resorts, which is open the whole year round, is another bonus.
“In Turkey, we have beaches but we have snow up to seven months a year,” Basaga said, indicating that Cebu can cater to Turkey’s growing leisure market travelers.
On the other hand, Cebuanos, and Filipinos in general, can benefit on Turkey for religious tourism or as a site for Christian pilgrimages.
Although 98 percent of Turks are Muslims, the country boasts of several Christian churches, including the famous historical site of the House of the Virgin Mary, said Basaga.
Citing official records, he said Turkey, with a 78 million population, hosts 22 million tourists every year, making it one of the world’s top 10 foreign tourist destinations. #
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Russia 'good' market for the Philippines
CEBU CITY – The potentials of Russia as a niche market of Cebu was confirmed by a 14-member trade mission led by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Cebu Consulate of the Russian Federation.
"The Russian market is waiting to be tapped. They are ready because they have the money," said Armi Lopez Garcia, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Cebu.
CCCI past President Anastacio Muntuerto said the delegation was able to verify that the Russians have high spending capacities, making them a potential market for tourism and trade.
"We have never seen that much luxury cars—Rolls Royce, Bentleys- pass by before. It only means people in Russia are rich and they spend a lot. That makes them a good market," he said.
The Russians, too, have much to learn from the "happy go lucky" nature of Filipinos, Muntuerto added.
"People there are warm but they need to learn how to smile. That's the strength of Filipinos because we are a happy people," he said in an interview.
Garcia said the exhibit proved that prices of goods are not an issue among Russians.
She said even when the prices of her fashion accessories went up three to four times, Russian buyers did not show any disapproval.
"They love anything made of pearls and shells," she added.
But she said that while Russians are "not very price sensitive," they place high regard for quality and creativity, which she said are the competitive advantages of Philippine-made products.
In the same development, Francis Monera, CCCI immediate past president said while Russia poses strong potentials for business and leisure, the challenge still lies in educating the market about tourism and trade opportunities in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu.
He raised the need to create business linkages between local firms and their Russian counterparts.
"We need to study their market through proper matching and establish more tie-ups," he said. #
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"The Russian market is waiting to be tapped. They are ready because they have the money," said Armi Lopez Garcia, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Cebu.
CCCI past President Anastacio Muntuerto said the delegation was able to verify that the Russians have high spending capacities, making them a potential market for tourism and trade.
"We have never seen that much luxury cars—Rolls Royce, Bentleys- pass by before. It only means people in Russia are rich and they spend a lot. That makes them a good market," he said.
The Russians, too, have much to learn from the "happy go lucky" nature of Filipinos, Muntuerto added.
"People there are warm but they need to learn how to smile. That's the strength of Filipinos because we are a happy people," he said in an interview.
Garcia said the exhibit proved that prices of goods are not an issue among Russians.
She said even when the prices of her fashion accessories went up three to four times, Russian buyers did not show any disapproval.
"They love anything made of pearls and shells," she added.
But she said that while Russians are "not very price sensitive," they place high regard for quality and creativity, which she said are the competitive advantages of Philippine-made products.
In the same development, Francis Monera, CCCI immediate past president said while Russia poses strong potentials for business and leisure, the challenge still lies in educating the market about tourism and trade opportunities in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu.
He raised the need to create business linkages between local firms and their Russian counterparts.
"We need to study their market through proper matching and establish more tie-ups," he said. #
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Korean visitors to Cebu to rise in 2009
CEBU CITY – Although the number of Korean tourists in Cebu has decreased in the first half of this year, the consular office of Korea here is expecting the number to pick up with the rise of Koreans starting January next year.
Consul General to the Republic of Korea Augusto Go expressed his optimism given that the Korean-led, five-star Imperial Palace Water Resort and Spa will open in Mactan in January coupled with the extensive marketing campaign of Korean schools
Data from the Department of Tourism 7 revealed Korean arrivals to Cebu registered 103,139 visitors that plunged 10.44 percent compared to the first half of last year, which was at 115,161.
"I don't want it to drop any further and I am optimistic that the number will pick up starting January," said Go.
Go said his consular office is mulling to produce a marketing video, highlighting Cebu as a leisure and education destination, which will be launched online.
"We will further promote Cebu as a nice destination through the Internet and this will be easily accessed by Internet-savy Koreans," said Go.
The plan, he said, was an offshoot during his meeting with the association of Korean schools here recently.
Go said the video will also center on Cebu's peace and order situation and its high level proficiency of the English language, tapping the partnership of the Cebu City Government for the project to materialize.
"If we are successful on this project, I'll also tell the other provinces to sell the Philippines to Korea online," he said. # .
Consul General to the Republic of Korea Augusto Go expressed his optimism given that the Korean-led, five-star Imperial Palace Water Resort and Spa will open in Mactan in January coupled with the extensive marketing campaign of Korean schools
Data from the Department of Tourism 7 revealed Korean arrivals to Cebu registered 103,139 visitors that plunged 10.44 percent compared to the first half of last year, which was at 115,161.
"I don't want it to drop any further and I am optimistic that the number will pick up starting January," said Go.
Go said his consular office is mulling to produce a marketing video, highlighting Cebu as a leisure and education destination, which will be launched online.
"We will further promote Cebu as a nice destination through the Internet and this will be easily accessed by Internet-savy Koreans," said Go.
The plan, he said, was an offshoot during his meeting with the association of Korean schools here recently.
Go said the video will also center on Cebu's peace and order situation and its high level proficiency of the English language, tapping the partnership of the Cebu City Government for the project to materialize.
"If we are successful on this project, I'll also tell the other provinces to sell the Philippines to Korea online," he said. # .
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