Russian Tourists Come to Greece

And what do they buy when they come here? Well a good indication is in the number of Russian fur shops that are spreading all over the island. Apparently the Russian people can buy fur coats in Crete much cheaper than in Russia. And there really is a plethora of huge showrooms, with very professional looking advertisements on hoardings, all along the main tourist strip. 

Whether it is right or wrong to buy and sell garments made from animals is another story. I personally would not buy one, but then, I don't have to suffer the sub zero temperatures of Russia and beyond. So, while that debate goes on, trade in fur is obviously bringing money into Crete. I only hope that the Russian people also go home with a very rich appreciation of Greek history and culture. 

Evgeny Pisarevskiy the Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, visited the 29th International Tourism Exhibition “Philoxenia.” During his interview, he stated that Greece could attract 3.6 million Russian tourists in the next 5 years.

He also said that we could announce the year 2015 “as a year of Tourism between Greece and Russia.” The increase of Russians means an important increase in tourist incomes.

Furthermore, he insists that the visa regulations still remain an obstacle and he asked to abolish the visa for the Russian tourists.

He also said that we should create tourist guides in the Russian language in order to attract them. He also added that the great advantage of Greece is its history and especially Greek mythology. He also invited Greeks to visit Russia to see not only the popular sites and cities, but also places which still remain unknown for most people.

From a report by Maria Papathanasiou 

And maybe one day, my book Tears from the Sun - A Cretan Journey will be translated into Russian, and many other languages. That would be good.

So have a great Sunday, everyone.

Talk again soon,

Love Jane x