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Russian travel agents find Saipan ‘romantic’
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Posted on Oct 01 2005
The visit of five Russian travel agents to the CNMI ends today with a prognosis that the CNMI “is a haven for romance.”
“[CNMI] is very nice. It’s certainly very romantic. A place for special honeymoon,” said Russian travel sales director Ludmila Naryzhnaya from the Oriental Discovery Co. in Moscow, Russia.
The five travel agents convened on Saipan for a weeklong inspection of the islands. Dubbed as a familiarization tour, these travel agents had one objective in this trip: to market the Commonwealth more effectively to the Russian market.
The five are from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok.
Marianas Tourists Agency president Oleg V. Chentsov said the tour was part of the preparation for the peak season of travel and vacation for Russians. Chentsov said the biggest arrival months for Russian tourists are from December to March.
He said 500 to700 Russians visit the CNMI yearly, providing an additional $1.5 million revenue to the economy.
Chentsov said this was the second familiarization tour for Russian travel agents. The first was held in 1999.
The agents also found the CNMI a safe place. Chentsov said the visiting agents saw that any tourist can leave their hotels and walk along busy streets without worrying about being mugged by thieves and pickpockets.
Another objective of their visit, said Chentsov, is to attract visitors from other parts of Russia. He said most Russians who visit the Commonwealth come from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Now, the agents want to introduce the Marianas to Moscow, Siberia, and cities in the western part of Russia.
The group also visited Tinian, the Managaha Island, the different hotels, the SandCastle at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, and other tourist attractions in the CNMI.
Chentsov said he will collect the comments of the travel agents and, based on the feedback, he will create a strategy on how to sell the islands to prospective Russian tourists.
The group is bound to leave for Russia today.
