Russian Tour Operator Ready To Take Up 30-60 Pct Of Seats On Malaysia Route

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Russian tour operator PAKS Travel is prepared to take up between 30 and 60 per cent of seats on a potential direct route between Russia and Malaysia, signalling strong market confidence in Malaysia as a tourism destination.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said PAKS Travel, which has been selling Malaysian tourism products for 35 years, regarded Malaysia as one of its key and promising destinations.

“I met PAKS Travel, a Russian tour operator, in Moscow to discuss air connectivity between Russia and Malaysia. PAKS said Malaysia has consistently been one of its key and promising destinations.

“However, the lack of direct flights remains the main constraint on further market growth,” he said in a Facebook post Sunday.

He said PAKS president and co-founder Maxim Lobanov told him that the company had previously engaged with Russian and Malaysian airlines and had proposed taking up a proportion of seats on a potential route.

Tiong said should a suitable airline launch a route between Russia and Malaysia, PAKS could consider taking up 30 to 60 per cent of the seats through group seat allocations for sale as travel packages.

He said Russian tourists mainly travelled to Malaysia via several West Asian and Chinese airlines, with airfare remaining a crucial factor in determining whether tourism products could be sold competitively.

“The average fare via West Asia is about US$650, but a direct-flight fare of US$1,600 to US$1,700 would not be competitive,” he added.

Tiong said the information provided by PAKS on passenger demand, fares and seat requirements would be brought back for further discussion with airlines, including Batik Air, on the possibility of serving the Russian route.

He said efforts would also be made to explore a Moscow-Tashkent-Malaysia connection, while engaging airlines from other countries on using existing routes to Russia to connect with Kuala Lumpur through hubs such as Hanoi and Haikou.

“I believe the Russian market has significant room for growth if air connectivity and airfare issues can be improved, supported by joint promotions between Tourism Malaysia and major Russian tourism operators,” he said.

-- BERNAMA