Yacht Tourism Connects Russian Capitals
The operators of Palace Cruise hope to develop yacht tourism in Russia. St. Petersburg is already a popular cruise destination.
The first river yacht route, Dvortsovy Kruiz (Palace Cruise), opened Saturday, connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg on a trial basis through July 12 as part of the Annual Yacht Festival.
If there is enough demand, it will make the coast even clearer for the cruise business in Russia’s northwest, and river yachts will run regularly, says Sergei Akulenko, CEO of Marinacomplex, the local company responsible for berthing, fuel and food supply.
About 10 yacht owners have taken an interest in the 1,350-kilometer Palace Cruise along the Volga-Baltic waterway, into which Marinacomplex has invested 50,000 euros. Alexander Kamelin, the Chief Officer of Sea and River Vessels Inspection in St. Petersburg, says not all vessels can qualify to operate the route. “There are 780 registered small vessels, and only 40 are sailing yachts.”
The cruise business boom in St. Petersburg took off in 2000. According to the northwestern branch of the Russian Tourism Business Union, the city dominates in the Baltic area, welcoming 16 percent of all cruise ship tourists in the Baltic area, leaving behind internationally renowned sea ports such as Tallinn (15 percent), Copenhagen (13 percent), Stockholm and Helsinki (12 percent each).
