More Russian Tourists Expected To Visit Malaysia This Year - Russian Envoy

By Nor Faridah Abd Rashid KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia can expect more Russian tourists this year as the country is becoming a popular destination for Russians to escape the cold winter, says Russian envoy Lyudmilla G. Vorobyeva. The ambassador to Malaysia said that last year, about 40,000 Russians visited the country and more were expected to do so this year. "Southeast Asia is becoming a popular destination now, especially during winter," said the 47-year-old envoy who took up her posting here in August 2010. Sharing her views with Bernama on a wide range of topics at the embassy here recently, Vorobyeva said Russians liked the "sun, beach and nature" and Malaysia, which she described as a beautiful country, had all these qualities. Normally, she noted, Russian tourists would spend about five to seven days in Malaysia in destinations such as Langkawi, where there is even a direct flight to the island from Russia during the winter season, and Sabah and Sarawak, two East Malaysia states. The increase in flights from Russia to Kuala Lumpur would also encourage more Russians to visit Malaysia, she said. According to reports, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd is negotiating with Russia’s S7 Airlines to commence flights into Kuala Lumpur, which will add to Transaero Airlines weekly flights from Moscow to Kuala Lumpur. In March, Transaero will increase its frequency to twice a week. However, despite these positive developments, there was still insufficient information about Malaysia and Russia, said Vorobyeva, who has vast experience in the diplomatic field and held different diplomatic posts at the Russian Embassy in Laos from 1989 to 2005. "Information is lacking in what is happening in my country and your country. We need more information on this," she said, adding that in this respect, people-to-people contact and tourism could play a role to boost knowledge about each other’s country. Tourism could be an important platform to enhance people-to-people relations and could also lead to business and investments such as those in Thailand where people who visited the country as tourists, subsequently returned to do business, said Vorobyeva, who was a minister-counsellor in Thailand from 2005-2007. She commended Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen for doing a good job of promoting Malaysia in Russia. Many Russians were familiar with Malaysia or at least, they knew where Malaysia was on the map, she said. The envoy said that her embassy intended to bring Russia and Malaysia closer and would provide all necessary information, pointing out that Malaysia was quite similar to Russia in the sense that it was a multiracial and multi-religious state. She said there were some 20 million Muslims in Russia and those who practised other religions of the world, such as Christianity and Buddhism. Russia has a population of more than 145 million, with over 160 nationalities, each speaking their own language. The greater part of the population is Russian at more than 80 per cent; the remainder are Tatars, Ukrainians, Chuvash, Belarusians, Mordovians, Germans, Chechens, Avars, Armenians and others. And what can Russia offer tourists, especially those from Malaysia? Vorobyeva said, since Russia was a large country, newcomers could choose to visit Moscow, the capital city, St Petersburg and Siberia. Moscow was a vibrant city, filled with culture and theatres, while St Petersburg is "simply beautiful," she said. In Siberia, tourists "can drink directly" from the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal, the ambassador said. The lake, with a surface area of 31,727km (12,250 square miles), has the largest water volume in the world, holding about 20 per cent of the world's total fresh water. At 1,620 metres, nearly a mile deep, Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake. The envoy also touched on education, saying there were some 3,000 Malaysian students in Russia, taking courses such as medicine and engineering, while there were only some 130 Russian students in Malaysia taking up mostly Islamic studies. She hoped to see more Malaysians studying in Russia where the cost was competitive and very affordable as compared to the United Kingdom and the US. Language was not a problem for Malaysian students, as she was told, as Malaysian students were able to master Russian very well. On the Global Movement of Moderates, an idea mooted by Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak, she said it was a good idea. "Moderation is the key word in our times. However, we would like to know more details," she said. -- BERNAMA