From April 24 to November 17, 2018, about 300 thousand tourists took cruises along the Moscow water basin. The most popular routes were - From Moscow to St. Petersburg and along the Golden Ring.
“About 290 thousand people took cruise ship trips. This includes excursion and walking routes lasting up to 24 hours, as well as full-fledged cruises lasting from 2-5 days to 15-20 days or more. The total passenger flow in the Moscow basin of inland waterways amounted to 1.33 million people, which is 7% more than a year earlier," said the head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Moscow Canal" German Elyanyushkina.
He also said that in 2017, a landing site in the center of Ryazan was restored, which allowed the resumption of cruises that were interrupted 20 years ago.
"In 2018, seven cruise ships sailed along the Oka, using the new pier for berthing and disembarking passengers. If last year 16 tourist ships (1.5 thousand passengers) moored at the landing stage, then this year there were already 38 liners (3.34 thousand travelers)," he added.
According to him, the routes to Moscow are in the greatest demand.
"About 150 pleasure and banquet ships transport a total of about 1 million people per year. Ships depart from city berths every 15-20 minutes. The busiest waterway of the Moscow River in terms of passenger traffic is 37 km from lock No. 9 (Karamyshevo) to lock No. 10 (Pererva). Shipping here does not stop even in winter: from November until the opening of navigation in April, ten icebreaker yachts of the Radisson Flotilla continue to sail," he noted.
He also noted that the Volga is one of the most popular cruises for tourists. They most often visit Tutayev, Kineshma, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Plesa, Cheboksary, Saratov, Samara, Interfax reports.
"Those who prefer a short vacation in nature to 7-10-day trips, visits to Vesyegonsk are in demand. As part of a 5-7-day trip, the cruise ship, as a rule, makes stops in Yaroslavl, Ples, Kostroma, Gorodets and Nizhny Novgorod. From May to early October, you can take three-day tours from Moscow with traditional stops in small towns such as Uglich, Myshkin, Kalyazin and Tver. Vacations in Koprino on the Rybinsk Reservoir are gaining popularity," said German Elyanyushkin.
Source: trn-news.ru