With the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Olympics just hours away, all eyes are on Russia. Personally, Russia has never been top on my bucket list. I remember flying over the massive country on my way to China, but the huge empty land of nothing that I saw outside my airplane window was far from tempting. Nevertheless, thousands of athletes, their friends and families, reporters, and other Olympic enthusiasts have made their way to Sochi, Russia for the 22nd winter games.
While tourism in Russia has seen massive growth since the time of the Soviet Union, it still has a long way to go in order to compete with popular neighboring European countries. Additionally, Southeast Asian tourism has experienced a massive explosion; it seems like everyone wants to go to Vietnam these days. Or maybe that’s just me. Regardless, Russia remains a sleeping giant when it comes to tourism. To many, it appears to be a faraway, gloomy nation, plagued by corruption. I don't know about you, but I learned enough about the Cold War during high school history class and despite the Sochi Olympic PR, I don’t think I’ll be making a trip anytime soon.
But Russia, like any good Olympic-host, would like to change my mind-- and the rest of the world's as well. Alla Manilova, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Culture, claims that “We have never properly promoted tourism or let people know just what Russia has to offer.” It is her job to fix that, and she believes these Olympic games are the perfect opportunity to put Sochi and Russia on the map.
While I’m sure today’s Russia has its fair share of popular tourist destinations (heck, it’s the largest country in the world, there has to be something worth seeing), it is undeniable that Russia has not been on top of their marketing game. Let’s be honest, it’s not every day that you see an advertisement or read an article that makes you think “Hey, maybe I should check out Russia. That would be way cooler than (insert any country's name here).”
So the real question is, can Sochi do it? Can the Olympics change the tourism game for Russia?
While tourism in Russia has seen massive growth since the time of the Soviet Union, it still has a long way to go in order to compete with popular neighboring European countries. Additionally, Southeast Asian tourism has experienced a massive explosion; it seems like everyone wants to go to Vietnam these days. Or maybe that’s just me. Regardless, Russia remains a sleeping giant when it comes to tourism. To many, it appears to be a faraway, gloomy nation, plagued by corruption. I don't know about you, but I learned enough about the Cold War during high school history class and despite the Sochi Olympic PR, I don’t think I’ll be making a trip anytime soon.
But Russia, like any good Olympic-host, would like to change my mind-- and the rest of the world's as well. Alla Manilova, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Culture, claims that “We have never properly promoted tourism or let people know just what Russia has to offer.” It is her job to fix that, and she believes these Olympic games are the perfect opportunity to put Sochi and Russia on the map.
While I’m sure today’s Russia has its fair share of popular tourist destinations (heck, it’s the largest country in the world, there has to be something worth seeing), it is undeniable that Russia has not been on top of their marketing game. Let’s be honest, it’s not every day that you see an advertisement or read an article that makes you think “Hey, maybe I should check out Russia. That would be way cooler than (insert any country's name here).”
So the real question is, can Sochi do it? Can the Olympics change the tourism game for Russia?
Call me a Negative Nancy, but based on how things are going so far, I'm going to have to say no. It only takes a quick Twitter search for the trend "#sochiproblems" to understand just how utterly incompetent this country is at hosting a world event.
Some hotel rooms don't have doorknobs. The faucet water is a highly questionable color. The world's best athletes are living in cramped, dismal quarters. Reporters have encountered stray dogs in their accommodations. The Olympic Village isn't even DONE YET.
While I realize I may be coming off as a victim of first world problems, I don't understand how this could have happened. You would think that a country who spent more than $51 billion to prepare for the world could have at least let the athletes and reporters know that the event was BYOD (bring your own doorknob, duh).
Some hotel rooms don't have doorknobs. The faucet water is a highly questionable color. The world's best athletes are living in cramped, dismal quarters. Reporters have encountered stray dogs in their accommodations. The Olympic Village isn't even DONE YET.
While I realize I may be coming off as a victim of first world problems, I don't understand how this could have happened. You would think that a country who spent more than $51 billion to prepare for the world could have at least let the athletes and reporters know that the event was BYOD (bring your own doorknob, duh).
I really don't mean to hate on Russia (too excessively, at least). My point is that this country is plagued by corruption, and it's really a shame. After I heard about what was going on in Sochi, my curiosity peaked and I did some Googling to see if I could find any noteworthy tourist destinations (aside from the picturesque St. Petersburg. If I can get over the fact that Sochi is putting down innocent stray dogs for the Olympic games, maybe I'll try to get myself over to St. Petersburg someday). What I found from the Google search surprised me. Believe it or not, Russia does have some unharnessed tourism potential:
Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest freshwater lake on earth
Valley of Geysers, the second largest geyser field in the world
Altai Krai, a region of Russia so untouched it has been referred to as "virgin nature"
Abrau-Dyurso, the center of Russia's wine region
Beautiful landscapes? Rich culture? Vineyards? These are all places I would happily pay a visit to, I've just never seen them on the cover of Condé Nast Traveler or featured on the Travel Channel. If Russia could get its act together, I am confident that they could compete in the world tourism market. Unfortunately for Sochi, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
Sorry Putin, you won't find this wannabe-traveler in your country anytime soon.
Sorry Putin, you won't find this wannabe-traveler in your country anytime soon.