“Dive Philippines” a Hit in Moscow Dive Show
From left: Ms. Victoria Mukranova, General Manager, AVIAREPS; Ms. Catherine Alpay, Philippine Embassy; Ms. Rita Doctor, DOT OPMD-Dive; Mr. Jeffrey Valdez, Philippine Embassy; Ms. Anabelle Apostol, DOT Frankfurt; Ms. Catherine Carballo, AZURE Dive Resort; and Ms. Marina Nikulova, AVIAREPS at the DIVE Philippines booth during the Moscow Dive Show at Sokolniki on 01 February 2018. Photo: S. Pamocol.
19 February 2018 MOSCOW – World-class Philippine dive spots were once again a hit at the Moscow Dive Show, an annual international exhibition that caters to the diving community in Russia. The Philippine exhibit titled “DIVE Philippines” was prepared and staffed by a delegation led by the Department of Tourism (DOT) composed of Ms. Rita Doctor of the DOT Office of Product and Market Development (OPMD) Dive Group and Ms. Anabelle Apostol, Operations Officer of DOT Frankfurt, which has jurisdiction over Russia.
They were joined by marketing representatives and CEOs of top Philippine dive resorts, including SA Diving and Tours, Bohol Tropical Divers, Azure Dive Resort, and Discovery Fleet.
During the event which was held on 1-4 January 2018 at the Sokolniki Exhibition Center in Moscow, the DIVE Philippines Team presented a lecture called "Philippines: The Heart of Diving in Asia" where top Russian underwater photographer Alex Stoyda and Ms. Doctor of the DOT highlighted the various aquatic species that await divers in different spots all over the Philippines including Tubbataha Reef off Palawan, Malapascua in Cebu and Anilao in Batangas. The presentation also showcased the Philippines as a top destination for different types of tropical diving such as macro diving, wreck diving, cave diving and others. The results of the international dive photography contest "Anilao Underwater Shootout 2017" were also announced.
The Philippines has been hailed by scientists as the “center of the center” of marine biodiversity with its location at the apex of the Coral Triangle. Various studies have declared the country as having the richest concentration of marine life in the entire planet with as many as 500 species of corals and up to 2,500 species of fish.
“Tourism promotion is one of the priorities of the Philippine Embassy and we make it a point to support the DOT and our tourism providers in all their activities in Russia. We are especially proud of our world-class diving destinations and pleased to share these with the Russian diving community,” said Jeffrey Valdez, Head of Economic Section. He added, “We know that Russia excels in ice and technical diving but we are seeing more Russian divers traveling in search of warmer climates and new species.”
The Moscow Dive Show is Russia’s premier diving exposition. It features more than 200 exhibitors from all over the world and attracts more than 20,000 participants with a focus on tourism promotion and retail for scuba diving, free diving, spearfishing and underwater photography. This the third time that the Philippines participated in the event. END
For more information, visit www.moscowpe.dfa.gov.ph/ https://www.facebook.com/moscowpe/ or https://www.facebook.com/moscowpeconsular/
The exhibition space of the Moscow Dive Show on 03 February 2018. Photo: moscowdiveshow.ru.