| Azlan Othman |
IT SEEMS Brunei’s tourism industry is set to receive an Eastern European boost, if the warm accounts of the country by a group of Russian tourists are anything to go by.
The group, visiting Brunei as part of a four-day familiarisation trip organised by one of Russia’s leading tour operators, seem to have fallen in love with the Sultanate’s natural beauty, Islamic architecture and clean streets.
Kornilova Nadezhda, the owner of Good Time Travel, the largest multifaceted tour operator in Russia’s Northwestern Federal District, led the plaudits.
“Brunei Darussalam is famous for its lush and pristine rainforests. Russian tour operators can package the Sultanate together with Vietnam for instance, which is popular among Russians for its beaches,” she said.
“We enjoyed a river excursion to Temburong District, where we got to see the waterfalls and the panoramic view of the ‘Green Jewel’ from the highest point of the national park.
“We were impressed [with Brunei] as it offers [something different to the] other destinations. The months from October to April are ideal for Russian tourists to visit the Sultanate as they coincide with the holidays in Russia.”
Kornilova added that Brunei’s implementation of the Syariah law was exaggerated by the Western media.
“It is not a matter of concern to them so long as they adhere to the rules and regulations of the country,” she said.
“Many Russian tourists visit Iran and they also have to abide by the local rules there. Tourists from Russia are very experienced and Brunei is something new to them. Russians like to visit places that nobody visited before.”
A representative of another Russian tour operator highlighted that they will begin advertising campaigns highlighting Brunei as a tourist destination.
“Young travellers from Russia no longer have the language barrier and they are keen to travel individually.”
“We hope Brunei travel agencies will also visit Russia to further discuss [the formulation of] packages to promote the Sultanate,” said the representative.
Tom Chang, a tour guide at Freme Travel Services Sdn Bhd who led the group, shared his thoughts on the prospect of more Russian tourists visiting Brunei.
“The visa waivers for Russian tourists visiting Brunei help a lot, as this means less barriers compared to the previous 72-hour Visa processing time which made [visiting Brunei] more difficult,” he said.
“The idea of bringing leading tour operators [from Russia to Brunei] was mooted two years ago when Freme Travel’s managing director and inbound manager visited Russia for a product briefing to bring Russian tourists to Brunei Darussalam.”
Chang noted that during the Russian tourists’ four-day stay in the country, which began on Thursday, they experienced the ‘Canopy Walk’ and viewed the waterfalls and lush rainforests at the Ulu Temburong National Park, visited the Royal Regalia Museum, went on a river cruise and saw the mangrove forests and the famous proboscis monkeys, as well as stayed at The Empire Hotel & Country Club and The Rizqun International Hotel.
“They really enjoyed their stay and fell in love with the local food which comes with teh tarik,” he added.