Kingston, Jamaica – Jamaica is now positioned to tap into the Russian market in a major way after arrangements were finalized for the introduction of direct flights from Moscow, Russia to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has announced that on January 1, 2013, Russian airline Transaero will begin nonstop service from Moscow to Montego Bay using a Boeing 777 with 300 seats. This, as Jamaica moves to open up new tourism markets across the globe.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Ministry’s offices today November 15, Minister McNeill outlined that the arrangements were finalized following discussions with officials from Transaero, during his recent trip to Russia, after attending the World Travel Market (WTM) show in London. He said “this flight is being organized by Russian tour operator Biblio Globus in association with Transaero airlines. The flights will run for three months initially, however we are in discussions with them to continue into the summer and to provide the service for the entire year.”
Russian Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Polenov, says the introduction of flights by Transaero airlines in the New Year will be a major step towards facilitating travel between both countries. He said “I’m sure the Russian tourist invasion will bring a wave of people from my country to this island to explore and discover a lot of things. The direct flight from Moscow to MoBay means that not only will Russian tourists visit Jamaica but we are hoping that Jamaicans will come to Russia.”
Expounding on Jamaica’s efforts to open up the Russian market, Minister McNeill said plans were also being formalized to fly in a group of Russian media representatives to help promote destination Jamaica in Russia. He expressed that “we are very optimistic that the Russian market will provide significant returns, as the minimum stay by visitors from that market is ten nights, twice the average stay of visitors from markets such as the US.”
Transaero is the second largest airline out of Russia, which flies to 40 countries on 130 routes and has hubs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. They operate flights between Moscow and Belorussia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The airline also operates flights out of other countries such as Austria, Cyprus and Greece.
