First cruise "Six holiday capitals of the Black Sea" starts from Odessa June 14 (photo)
The first cruise "Six holiday capitals of the Black Sea" starts from the port of Odessa (Ukraine) on June 14, 2013, IAA PortNews learnt from the cruise organizer Black & Baltic Seas cruise company (B&BS cruise company).
The cruise ship is the Adriana chartered from the Caribbean-based ship owner Adriana Shipping LTD.
The company intends to revive the Odessa-Crimean-Caucasian cruise line with weekly call on each city of the route till late September, 2013. The vessel will call on Odessa, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Yalta, Sochi and Anapa. As of today, it is the only opportunity to visit “Six holiday capitals of the Black Sea” within one week and within one tour.
“It is a very promising line developing internal tourism of Russia and Ukraine. For the first time in 20 years a cruise with national passport appeared in the Black Sea. The St. Petersburg operator managed to achieve something many were speaking about. It is a great event for us,” Crimean Tourism Minister Aleksandr Liev said.
According to him, it is an impetus for Black Sea port cities to improve their infrastructure, raise tourist service standards and work on creation of a positive tourism image.
“Crimean port infrastructure is ready to accept Adriana and to service cruise passengers. During the season, 78 calls of large Mediterranean passenger vessels of renown global companies are made in the ports of the Crimea (including Feodosia and Evpatoria),” he summarized.
Igor Ryurikov, Director General of Expo-tour, President of the Association of St. Petersburg cruise market players, believes that the launch of a cruise line in the Black Sea is a long felt need driven first of all by the general cruise market growth and by the increased demand for visa-free tours: Black Sea cruises may be a perfect alternative to river cruises and beach-related rest.
In this context, the priority of the cruise tourism development in the Black Sea Basin is the revival of cruise shipping focused on internal market of Black Sea countries, first of all for citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova living in Kishinev, Odessa Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Rostov, Stavropol, Krasnodar etc. (some 50 mln people).
Aleksandr Belyakov, head of Sochi port cruise development department, also considers the line to be promising and profitable: “Unfortunately, we can offer Adriana only off-shore servicing this season, though next year we are ready to provide the project with our port as a basic one and to support it comprehensively!”
“Adriana is an average-size cruise ship providing all options required for an adequate and comfortable rest: pool with sea water, restaurants, bars, salons, shops etc. The capacity is 300 passengers and 100 crew members.
