For many years, a trip to rest abroad was exclusively a matter of financial opportunities, three months ago it became a matter of common sense, two months ago it was a question of an uncertain future.
It has always been like this - it was not those who wanted to go abroad (because, of course, they wanted everything at all), but those who could buy tickets, pay for visas and hotels, if necessary, a guide or rent a car, those who could choose their own route or pay for the services of the relevant agency. And so, when the number of such people reached a historic maximum in Russia, it turned out that it was simply dangerous to go abroad - either catch a virus there, or you would sit here for two weeks somewhere, which is called the terrible word "observation", or a flight canceled, or there all the shops will be closed, and expelled from the hotel. We all know these stories from our friends who ended up in Europe or Southeast Asia at the end of March this year - the money ran out, the hotel was closed, the restaurants weren’t serving, the planes stopped flying from the airport. All this together somewhat cooled the tourist ardor, muffled the sweet call of the coveted foreign country. I myself handed in my tickets to France when it was still possible to fly away, but it was clear that I would have to return with complications, and in every sense.
And by April the question itself had disappeared - as they say, here it is life, and there is nowhere to go in it. With all the imaginary variety of possibilities, it is impossible to realize them. In the near future, if you go anywhere, then only in Russia. It is unclear when it will become safe enough to open the borders of our country, and all the more unclear on what conditions other countries will be allowed to enter. And in Russia, each region sets the standards independently - right now you can go to Sochi, even to St. Petersburg, even to Yaroslavl, even to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Hotels, at least in St. Petersburg, are open. They say that on the famous Rubinstein street, all the institutions work on takeaway and there are benches filled with people in front of them, so in general, not much has changed.
And this week in Rosturism made forecasts for the opening of beaches in our southern regions - in the Kuban and in the Crimea. They promise that the beaches will open in the next two weeks, and by July, when the sea water warms up and attracts more tourists, they will develop new rules for visiting these beaches.
In general, we were lucky more than many - you can fly for ten hours on an airplane at a speed of 1000 km / h and land in the same country. Our holiday home is practically dimensionless.
There are unobvious positive aspects in this restriction of places for summer vacations. Now those who are used to traveling to Tuscany, Malaga and the Cote d'Azur will have to choose between Gelendzhik and Simeiz.
This means that thousands of very demanding and accustomed to good service people will come to the south of Crimea and to the Krasnodar Territory, ready to pay for rooms in good hotels and for service in good restaurants. This will give not only an influx of money into the domestic tourism industry, but also a forced way to raise the level of this industry. The expectations of customers accustomed to good can be deceived once, twice, thrice, but not a hundred thousand times. Although, I must say that with us, even now, with justification of even high expectations, everything is not bad.
It is clear that there are good hotels in St. Petersburg and Sochi, but it turns out that they are in Veliky Novgorod. Moreover, there are also excellent restaurants - one might say, not even of the world, but simply of the Moscow level, which the same world has long surpassed. And it’s a pity, of course, that these restaurants have been idle for weeks without tourists, but I saw local people there, for whom, I hope, these restaurants will open with a regional decree - with their own beer and tinctures, with beetroot mousse and strawberry pancakes.
I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself, but in Gelendzhik one of the most beautiful embankments not only in Russia, but in general among all places where there is a sea, and the city itself is well-groomed, clean, friendly and relaxed. And yes, if you were worried, I’ll say that there is a decent restaurant there too - ask the locals, they will immediately show. There at the entrance they give a glass of local moonshine and a piece of Russian fat.
And there is nothing to say about Crimea - this is one of the main Russian symbols and part of the youth of almost every Russian person. In connection with the Crimea, a year ago recalls the story when the United States imposed sanctions on the Kaliningrad park, where a miniature copy of the Crimean castle "Swallow's Nest" was exhibited. Well, if there people from such and such little things connected with the Crimea, and so wrinkles, therefore, you need to go without fail.
I arrived in Crimea late - not in childhood or even in youth, but at 22 years old. A woman left me, and my friend and I drove to the South Bank. There, I quickly enough forgot that someone left me, because new acquaintances in the Crimea, and when you are 22 years old, start with extraordinary ease. I would even say: easier than in Tuscany.
We will still go to Tuscany, our whole life is ahead, but for now, it seems that the time has come to develop tourism in our country. Time to collect stones of tourist services scattered over many years around the world.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.