Saint Petersburg is waiting for Turkish tourists

The recent meeting of mayors of Turkish towns with Russia’s northern capital officials and representatives of the Russian Union of Travel Industry in Saint Petersburg showed mutual interest in tourism development from both sides. The delegation of mayors and heads of Turkey’s historic Kilikia region municipal authorities arrived in Saint Petertsburg to get a closer look at the city’s investment and tourism opportunities, to spread the word about their governorships and to establish bilateral cooperation with Russian colleagues. The region’s authorities believe that as for now the tourist flow from Russia to Turkey has been developing quite lop-sided – some part of the flow could be redirected from Antalya to other not less attractive destinations, such as Kilikia, which is believed to be a home to the world’s first ever Christian cave church. The region also houses many tourist sites from Asia Minor and Hellenic history. In order to attract more tourists the municipalities’ officials are actively working on development of tourist infrastructure.

The Turkish delegation has also expressed deep interest in investment opportunities into the travel industry of Saint Petersburg. They asked many questions concerning the city’s living standards, safety and environment.The Saint Petersburg Administration officials assured the Turkish guests that the city meets all the requirements of a high-quality tourist destination, and that is exactly why it was awarded the 7^th place on the list of the most attractive European cities. The Turkish guests got to know about Russia’s northern capital’s major investment projects, namely “The Sea Facade” passenger terminal and Pulkovo Airport reconstruction. It was also said that Saint Petersburg is capable of receiving much bigger volumes of tourists that it does now, particularly from Turkey, with which Russia has mutual visa-free travel arrangements.