Gov. Gwen Garcia is planning to hold an international gathering of businessmen, tourism stakeholders and medical experts in Cebu in time for the celebration of the 455th Founding Anniversary of the Province.
Gov. Garcia has extended invitations to different groups during her trip to Russia in Moscow and St. Petersburg where she is on a 9-day official business for the renewal of sisterhood partnership and a speaking engagement in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2024).
In the SPIEF, she attended meetings and dialogues with Russian and ASEAN business leaders who are exploring the possibilities of investing in Cebu.
Among those she invited are local officials from Saint Petersburg, business leaders from St. Petersburg and Moscow chambers of commerce, officials of the Russian air transport agency, independent travel agencies, and other stakeholders.
The governor said the attendance of travel agencies, tourism officials, officials of the Federal Agency for Air Transport Agency or FAATA is necessary so that they can discuss on the realization of putting up direct flights from Russia to Cebu and vice versa either by a Filipino airline or a Russian airline.
Lev Kosinov, the head of the Department of Transportation Regulation and International Cooperation of FAATA believes that to make these flights a reality or economically viable, the travel agencies can help create a market so that they can reach the viability requirement which is about 92% as required by their airlines.
During her meeting with doctors in Napalkov Cancer Center in Saint Petersburg, Gov. Garcia also invited medical experts to join in the forum so they can see for themselves the situation of medical practice and medical services in the Philippines specifically in the Province of Cebu.
She also extended an invitation to business leaders of the Russian-ASEAN Business, Moscow Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Petersburg Chamber of Commerce.
The Russian-ASEAN Business Council chairman Ivan Polyakov expressed interest in investing in the Philippines such as partnering with financial institutions where Russian businessmen and tourists can tap when they travel overseas.
Polyakov said he believes this will solve the problem on Russian travelers’ difficulty in overseas transactions due to the economic sanctions imposed in the country. | KNB