More and more tourists are arriving at the ski resorts of Sochi during the Christmas holidays.
According to the press service of the Gorky Gorod resort, more than 6700 people travelled there before the New Year. "After the holiday, many guests preferred to have a rest in resort's rooms, that is why more than 9000 ski passes were sold in the first two days in 2016,'' the company informed, noting that the occupancy rate of hotels in these festive days was 97%.
At the same time, some ski passes are still available. Organizers assume that the number of tourists is to significantly increase by Christmas.
There are also outdoor skating rinks and indoor water parks, shopping centers and 3D-cinemas for those who don’t want to go skiing in the mountains.
There are special Christmas fairs with Krasnopolyanskaya souvenirs and special food.
Weather in the resort is good for skiers. ''According to weather forecasters, it is expected -10 °C heavy snow, ice-covered ground by January 3. There will be possible sticking of wet snow on wires and trees,’’ Tass cites the representative of the mayor's office of the resort.
Mountains of the North Caucasus are very popular among Russians. More than 5000 people are there now, including more than 400 children, the head of the North Caucasian Regional Emergency Center Nikolai Lityuk pointed out during a conference call.
"The group created by EMERCOM allows to ensure safety,’’ Tass reports.
Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov ordered to take all areas with increased avalanche danger under special control, Interfax reports.
There is enough snow on the slopes of the North Caucasus, moreover almost all the routes are equipped with snow cannon, Vesti.ru reports.
According to tour operators, the quality and safety of routes in the North Caucasus can compete with the best European ones.
Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Russia for the North Caucasus Lev Kuznetsov said that Arkhyz (Karachaevo-Cherkessia), Elbrus (Kabardino-Balkaria) and Veduchi (Chechnya) became the standard resorts which will be a priority for public funding this year.
''If we speak about key investments of the ski resorts, they are the formation of the quality of the existing trails, as well as the creation of new routes. We have a long-term program for the development of the three basic resorts. We describe them as the standard resorts. They are Arkhyz, Elbrus and Veduchi, he said, noting that these resorts can be economically self-sufficient.
