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Tourism, Russian-Style: Missing a $50 Billion Tourist Industry |
| Section: LIFE / TRAVEL |
| Author: Frank Kaiser |
| Publication:
The World & I Online |
| Issue Date: 1/1/2000 |
| Size: 2,896 Words, 17,549 Characters |
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We'd been warned about daylight muggings, noxious air, transportation woes, undrinkable water, corrupt cops, Spartan toilets, rampant anti-Americanism, and the ubiquitous Russian mafia. But nothing prepared us for the outrageous manner in which Russia treats its tourists.
See for yourself. Come with us now to three Russian cities, five hotels, four airports, ninety-three meals, and more grief per mile than most anywhere you'll ever travel.
We begin this saga in Saratov, a city of 920,000 about seventeen hours by train southeast of Moscow. My wife, Carolyn, and I are volunteers teaching marketing and advertising under a USAID project to companies that, until seven years ago, had their production controlled from Moscow, where profits were illegal. Seven years later, most Russian business people still don't understand the concept of "customer," as in, "The customer is always right."
And therein lies a basic problem with tourism in Russia.
Our hotel--the premier $80-a-night Slovakia--although only 30 percent filled, tells us that there are no rooms available, citing regulations that lapsed years ago. "Of course," explains Anatoly Selivanov, our helpful 23-year-old USAID-funded keeper, "you must remember that until 1992 Saratov was a 'closed city,' strictly off limits to all foreigners." Situated on the Volga River, this was a major military aircraft manufacturing site, the home of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and a vital part of the Soviet space program.
Even now, we draw hostile stares from locals unaccustomed to foreigners--especially at the hotel, built in a quintessential monochromatic-bordering-on-ugly style popular in the Soviet sixties. "Keep in mind," explains Selivanov, "that the same people in...
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... lining his pockets. In the meantime, there's no hope, no future, until Russians become individuals, not dependent on government help. I love my country, but God help us."
And God help any tourists visiting this now-devolving nation who expect anything exceeding mediocrity, neglect, even scorn. My best advice: If you're going to Russia, above all don't forget to pack your sense of humor.
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Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
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The World & I Online is a
comprehensive academic resource that encompasses a broad range of
articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
includes the complete contents since 1986 and continues to publish
a new issue online each month. |
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