By Vestnik Kavkaza
When the Olympics were over, Sochi began to prepare for the resort season. Mayor of the city Anatoly Pakhomov decided to get involved in attracting tourists: “Sochi is a city for everybody; it is affordable. Sometimes people say: “Everything is expensive there; the resort is for wealthy people.” No, it is not. This is a family resort. There are the lowest prices on the Black Sea Shore, including Crimea. Last year I was in Lazarevka at the central beach. There was barely room to move. Now suburban trains are running, and we will construct stations in hard-to-get-to beaches to redistribute tourist flows.”
Pakhomov admits that the main resort of the country has had a lot of disadvantages for years. “But today this is a new city. The city has wonderful seafronts, beaches, three Five-Star Radisson Blu Hotels, a Marriott Hotel; there are various brands and management companies in Sochi. The beautiful Olympic Park is situated in the Adler region, as well as a magnificent seafront. I am sure people will fall in love with the scenery. The water is pure; there are unique five-star hotels with vast recreational territories, spas, restaurants, and cafes nearby. 25 thousand additional rooms were built for the Olympic Games.”
According to the mayor, “the Olympics gave a powerful impetus to the development of the resort. In five years the only subtropical resort of the Russian Black Sea Shore became a symbol of revival and the unique capacities of new Russia… Today we will probably get into the top 10 of the world's best cities, and we should think not only about hotels and commercial facilities, but also about preservation of the historic heritage.”
Pakhomov told Vestnik Kavkaza that Sochi is a multinational city: “Representatives of 124 nations live in our city. I can say that traditionally these people live in peace and friendship. We pay great attention to work with our ethnic communities. There are only two differences between us – our language and our culture. At the same time, all our ethnic groups and communities have an opportunity to give concerts, speak about their culture and history. These things improve our relations, which have always been warm. Yesterday we held a football championship among teams of our communities. The Armenian community won. The Greeks took second place, while the Russians took third place. We give an opportunity to compete in sporting and cultural festivals. We are really an example of life in peace and friendship.
