When people say “a country close to Russia in spirit,” they immediately think of quiet, cozy Greece, which carefully preserves its centuries-old traditions. The closeness of cultures and religions, excellent political and economic relations have a positive effect on the tourist flow from Russia. to this European country. As the company's press service told the TRN portal, on average more than 1 million Russians visit the country per year, and in the coming years this figure will grow, including due to cruise tourists, experts are sure.
For now, few people in Russia know that, working in the shadow of cruise giants, a small Greek company, Celestyal Cruises, is creating a truly unique tourist product – sea voyages along the Eastern Mediterranean with calls at “rare” ports. You can go on such an exclusive voyage almost all year round.
Having become one of the favorite beach and excursion destinations in Europe for Russians, Greece is betting on the development of alternative destinations, including through its beautiful islands.
By the way, there are more than 1,400 of them in the republic, but only 227 are inhabited.
Each island, like a separate mini-state, has its own laws, traditions and “face”. Celestyal Cruises, together with its partner in Russia, Infoflot Cruise Center, has undertaken to show tourists some of them, along with the “pearls” of Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel.
Currently, the Russian market has two 10-deck liners of the Greek company - Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia, each accommodating about 1,500 guests. The relatively small dimensions of the ships allow them to enter special places on the planet, and tourists will be able to experience a club atmosphere of relaxation, comfortably spend time in restaurants, casinos, bars, swimming pools and SPA zones, or keep fit in the gym. Entertainment on board the liners is created in the Greek spirit: master classes in sirtaki, cooking local dishes, national musical evenings.
One of the important distinguishing features of the Celestyal Cruises approach is the all-inclusive format when purchasing any cruise. The standard package includes the cruise itself, 2-3 excursions, port fees, tips, alcohol and multilingual service on board.
It should be noted that in partnership with Celestyal Cruises, Infoflot Cruise Center launched a new product, perfectly adapted to the Russian market - combined tours with cruises on the Greek company's liners.
The product is convenient because it frees tourists from the hassle of organizing their vacation. Everything is already included in the tour: direct flight from Moscow, meeting at the airport, accommodation in a 4* hotel, transfers, buffet, excursion programs. In fact, you can take money only for pocket money and souvenirs.
"Within the framework of such tours, we form Russian groups. During the entire journey, tourists are accompanied by an Infoflot employee. In addition, guests of the liner receive an onboard newspaper in Russian, and in restaurants - a Russian-language menu. At the moment, you can choose from three tour options," says Andrey Mikhailovsky, General Director of the Infoflot Cruise Center.
According to him, the "Amazing Greece" tour (the first departure is on March 23) is designed for 7 days. The first two days of the tour are spent in Athens, where they will stay at a 4* hotel located in the historical part of the city (breakfasts and a Greek dinner with a folklore program are included in the price), a bus tour of Athens (on the second day). The cruise itself begins on the third day. Tourists will visit the bright and cheerful Mykonos, where dozens of nice bars and cafes are scattered along the shore; the Turkish resort on the Aegean Sea Kusadasi, from where they will go on an excursion to ancient Ephesus; they will visit the so-called "island of the Apocalypse" Patmos, and Rhodes, Santorini and Heraklion, which are already well known to Russians. The price of the tour includes excursions to Rhodes and Ephesus.
The Aegean Odyssey tour (first departure - October 27, 2019) is an extended version of the first tour. Tourists also fly to Athens, but rest for 9 days, two of which are spent in Istanbul, and also visit Canakkale (Turkey) and the cozy Greek port town of Volos. The tour price includes excursions to Santorini, Istanbul and Heraklion. From Canakkale, an excursion to the legendary Troy is offered for an additional fee.
The Three Continents tour (first departure - December 30, 2019) covers Egypt and Israel. Tour participants fly from Moscow to Athens, from where they arrive by liner to Alexandria. From there, guests are taken to Cairo, where an excursion program is provided. The price, in addition to visiting the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, includes a river cruise along the Nile with lunch and an entertainment program, after which tourists go to Port Said. Also on the program are Israel's largest port city - Ashdod, Limassol in Cyprus, Rhodes and Kusadasi.
All return flights to Moscow will also be operated from Athens.
Within the framework of this program, travel agencies receive a convenient product for sale. Its main advantages: commission up to 15%, online booking on the Infoflot website, package booking (flight, hotel, cruise, transfers and excursions are booked as a single package), handouts for tourists.
Source: trn-news.ru
