PIC welcomes 10,000th Russian guest

The Dronov family received a surprise yesterday when their flight from Russia arrived on Saipan.

Upon landing, the family was told they were the 10,000th Russian customers to stay at Pacific Islands Club, a milestone that allows them to receive several gifts and surprises from PIC and local companies, including free use of rental cars, free tours and a trip to Tinian.

Alexander Dronov, through a translator, said the family was pleasantly surprised by the news. Dronov said he felt very welcome at the airport when PIC’s Russian market manager Elly Stoilova met the family there. The momentum built as they found out they were going to be taking a stretch Hummer limousine to the hotel. Once at the hotel, they discovered the room filled with flowers and gifts.

“It was 5 in the morning, and the kids were opening gifts,” he said.

“It was an explosion of emotion,” his wife, Irina, said through a translator.

This is the family’s second time on Saipan. They originally came in 2006, after their friends told them about the island. They said they had their doubts the first time around, but it went so smoothly they decided to return.

During their first trip, they went to the top of Mt. Tapochau to view the island and ocean. Alexander said they were amazed by the colors of the lagoon and seeing parts of the Marianas Trench.

The family had never been to the United States, but that was not a major factor in visiting Saipan, Alexander said, although they were curious about American culture and how Americans look.

With PIC and Saipan catering to the Russian market, both Irina and Alexander said they think more Russian tourists will come to the CNMI.

Stoilova said the arrival of the 10,000th Russian guests to PIC is a milestone.

“Ten thousand means we’re on the right path,” she said. “It is proof it’s a lucrative market.”

PIC began focusing on the Russian market 12 years ago, in 1996, Stoilova said, but didn’t see a large impact because of the country’s financial crisis in 1998. Only a few hundred tourists from Russia were staying at PIC the first couple of years, she said. But with an increased focus on the market, including a Russian version of the PIC Web site, a Russian Saipan map and guidebook, the numbers have improved. PIC welcomed three thousand Russian guests in the last year. Russia has now become the second major market for the hotel, behind Korea. Russian guests on average also tend to stay longer, 12 nights as opposed to three nights for Japanese visitors and four nights for Koreans.

But the impending federalization could take a large toll on the Russian market, Stoilova said. Unless Russia is added to the visa waiver program, Stoilova said she personally believes there will be a decrease in Russian tourists.

Obtaining a visa is time consuming and challenging, she said. There are only three U.S. embassies in a country almost twice the size of the United States; so many people would have to fly to the embassy. Also, many of the Russian guests are middle or upper class—celebrities, business owners and government officials—and are not able to plan their trips months in advance, Stoilova said.