Mother Russia offers
more value
STEEPED in history and
culture, Russia offers
a holiday that can be
likened to visiting European
destinations like Venice
or Paris and, despite the
weak rand, it is also a more
affordable option for South
Africans.
Ground operator,
followme2RUSSIA has
established an office in
Cape Town, promoting travel
to Russia. A familiarisation
trip in August saw a group of
travel agents head to Saint
Petersburg to experience
the destination and discover
why they should be selling
Russia to their clients as a
leisure destination.
Ahmed Pahad, ceo of
Buzzing Travel, believes
that South Africans will be
interested not only in the
historic and cultural aspects
of Russia but also the
political ties that bind the
countries, developed
during apartheid.
“Russia is still fairly
much an untapped tourist
destination. It has a very
high historic content and
rich culture. South Africans
don’t really know of the
links between the then
Soviet Russia. Former
President Thabo Mbeki
studied social science in
Moscow during the late
60s and the Soviets, aka
‘Russians’, were among the
biggest backers of the antiapartheid
struggle and were
critical in building mass
anti-apartheid movements,”
Ahmed says.
South Africans will also
be interested in the variety
of experiences on offer in
Russia, says Lucinda Tyler,
product manager of Club
Travel. “It is a beautiful
country, filled with history,
art, friendly people, great
shopping, delicious food,
excellent vodka, fantastic
nightlife and restaurants,
and very good value for
money for South Africans
compared with Europe.”
Lucinda notes that prices
of items that travellers
typically buy are very
comparable to South
Africa, including bottled
water at R10, an alcoholic
beverage at R40 and a slab
of chocolate for R10. She
notes that souvenirs are
also affordable, with the
popular Matryoshka dolls
retailing from around R70
per set.
When to go
The summer months in
Russia offer a temperate
climate and long days but
winter holidays can be
magical too. “Having been
fortunate to visit Russia
on many occasions, I
always tell my clients that
they have to visit Russia
twice, once in summer and
once in winter. The same
view during the different
seasons is completely
different and it’s like two
different holidays,” says
Ahmed.
Lucinda is a fan of
summer holidays in Russia:
“I would say visit in June
for the White Nights
Festival. Winter gives a
different view completely
as temperatures are
extremely cold, well below
zero. However ice skating
on the canals is very
appealing too.”
The Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood is a top
attraction in Saint Petersburg, drawing in tourists with its
colourful onion domes.
Getting there...
As a regional hub, Istanbul
offers great connections
into Russia. Turkish Airlines
will commence daily direct
flights out of Cape Town
using an Airbus A330
from October 25.
This new service will
complement the daily
Johannesburg-Istanbul
service that Turkish Airlines
operates at present.
