The Russians are Coming (title of 1966 movie). This time tourists rather than a Soviet submarine. From May of 2014 charter flights will kick off between the two Russian cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk and Okinawa. The planes involved will be 150-seat B737-800s operated by Aeroflot. The hope is to bring a total of 5,000 Russian tourists to Okinawa within a six month period. Charter flights will only operate outside the peak summer period (mid-July to mid-September), therefore Russian charter flights will arrive between mid-May and mid-July and then between early-September and late-November. From both Russian cities the flight time is about 4 hours, which is a distinct advantage Okinawa has over locations such as Thailand or Saipan. The only issue to be sorted out for Russian tourists will be visas, though it would make sense that the Government of Japan would simplify the process if the goal is indeed to increase international tourism. What looks to be particularly attractive about Russian tourists is that the length of stay in Okinawa will be 1-2 weeks with an average per capita expenditure closer to 200,000 yen as a result (average per capita expenditure for domestic Japanese tourists is about 70,000 yen). Okinawa will be marketed as the closest luxury resort to Russias Far East [極東ロシアから一番近い高級リゾート]. Brilliant news for Okinawan tourism and another reason to study languages. I dont know if this will come out correctly from Google Translate but my message to our soon to arrive Russian friends is as follows: Добро пожаловать на Окинаве!
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 23:40:24 +0000