Winter Olympics in a subtropical region: for anyone unacquainted with Sochi, located in the Krasnodar district on the Russian Black Sea coast, it is hard to believe. From 7 to 23 February 2014 the city, with its population of over 340,000, will be hosting some 6,000 sportsmen and women from 80 countries, as well as 140,000 spectators.
The city and surrounding area are highlighting their attractions as one of the most delightful regions anywhere in Russia, with a wide diversity of cultural and natural attractions as well as plenty of opportunities away from the games for every visitor to relax and enjoy some fascinating experiences.
There are trekking routes ranging from basic to Alpine standard, wellness and health attractions from geothermal facilities to bathing in wine, or alternatively, visitors can experience everything from biosphere reserves to organ and chamber music concerts. The possibilities offered by the supporting programme of the XXII Winter Games are truly outstanding. It goes without saying that the 14 sites for the various winter sports disciplines will be handed over ready for use by the end of 2013. The infrastructure is already in place too for what the organisers describe as the “most compact Olympic complex“ ever, ensuring that travel to the various venues and to the city itself is easy and comfortable.
Located only 1,380 kilometres from Moscow, a two hour flight or four hours by rail, there are more than 400 hotels in the 3-star category and above, offering thousands of beds. The four airports, two of them handling international flights, are already being used by eleven million tourists annually, 10,000 of them from Germany, 7,000 from Turkey, and many others from the USA, Greece and the United Kingdom.
Reliable, safe and ecological, dynamic, cosmopolitan, modern and offering the highest standards – these are the many and varied attributes of this area of his country that were featured today by Alexander Radkov, Head of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, at the ITB Berlin Convention. The presentation was both highly promising and inspiring. And if all these promises are kept, Sochi can expect to arouse just as much enthusiasm in 2018 as the venue for football’s next-but-one World Cup.
