Types of tourism

What is agri-tourism and what is it “eaten with”? In Sochi, it is eaten with healing honey, exotic jam, and local cheeses, and washed down with fragrant tea in the atmosphere of piquant aroma of the exotic spices.

For many dozens of years, Sochi health resorts with their therapy programs and swimming pool facilities have been attracting large numbers of guests. Whereas in Soviet times it was almost impossible to get the package holiday tour to the city of black nights, today it is much easier to achieve the dream — just pick the time, the place and buy the desired tour in any travel agency. Sochi health resorts today offer their guests a variety of therapy programs. As a rule, each of those resorts has its individual profile, in accordance with which it provides highly specialized treatment courses for a number of disorders: ENT and respiratory system nervous and musculoskeletal systems skin disorders associated with digestion and gastrointestinal tract blood and blood-forming organs eyesight related and others (in principle, if desired, it is possible to choose any highly specialized program). In addition to treatment courses, the resorts offer the diagnostic and preventive therapy including anti-stress, beauty and health maintenance, immune bolstering and many others.

At least four generations of Russians associate Sochi with the warm sea. And that is right!

Cultural and educational tourism is also called excursional tourism. The point of this type of travel is in familiarizing with the culture, history and artistic heritage of the place of visit, and in this regard, Sochi also has quite a lot to offer its guests. The advantageous geographical position of the resort - between the sea and the mountains – has led to the emergence of many wonderful natural phenomena and monuments. The yew-boxwood grove, Akhshtyrskaya and Vorontsovskaya caves, the Еagle cliffs, Agursky waterfalls, and Akhun mountain are traditionally on the must visit list of attractions available in Sochi. Furthermore, this list is growing: for example, as of 2017 the excursions to the waterfalls include a very interesting comfort route to the Mendelikha Park of waterfalls in Rosa Khutor area. Nature lovers are welcome to visit the Sochi national Park, the famous Arboretum and the Yuzhniye Kultury Park. The great history of those places can be discovered drawing on the extant buildings and monuments. It will not take a long time and will leave unforgettable impressions to visit the Volkonsky dolmen, the Genoese fortification remains in Hosta, Godlik medieval fortress, the ancient towers and walls of Achipse near Krasnaya Polyana erected in the sixth-eighth century on one of the roads, which was a part of the Great Silk Way. Within the city itself, one can see the Vereshchagin viaduct and the remains of Navagin fortification wall. Fort Alexandria, the first Russian military-type settlement, which used to be in the area of modern Sochi city center, is at present under protection as a national military fortification monument. The later period historical and architectural monuments including the Marine station, the Indo-European Telegraph, Voronov’s Dacha, the Sochi Lighthouse complex of buildings, the Treasury, Yusupov’s house are in excellent condition and continue to make a great impression on tourists. Experts account for at least 8 architectural styles, explicitly represented in the urban environment of Sochi. The beautiful examples of neo-romanticism include Villa Vera, Jacobson and Zinoviev’s Dacha, the Red Shturm Sanatorium building. The functioning Library named after Pushkin, Gordon's house, Ranovsky brothers’ Teremok are built in the Art Nouveau style. The building of the Sanatorium named after Voroshilov, the former sanatorium Mountain Air, and the building of the Institute of Balneology and Physiotherapy are the examples of constructivism. Primorskaya hotel building, which is the architectural landmark of the resort city, has been erected in the style of Soviet Art Deco, Matsesta Valley Sanatorium belongs to the modernized neo-classicism, Commercial Gallery in Navaginskaya to early modernism and minimalism, and Hotel Dagomys to late modernism and monumentalism. The special charisma of Sochi is even more enhanced by the luxurious buildings in the style of Stalin's Empire such as the Marine Station, the Railway Terminal, and the Sanatorium named after Ordzhonikidze. One of the most famous and frequently visited historical monuments in the resort city is Stalin's Dacha on the territory of the former Green Grove Sanatorium. Impressive monuments of religious architecture in Sochi include the Cathedral of Michael the Archangel, erected in memory of the end of the hostilities of the Caucasian war (1864), and the new Temple of the Miraculous Image of Christ the Savior, built in the Olympic Park on the site where the ruins of a ninth century Byzantine Church were found. The sculptures decorating Sochi are numerous and diverse: the classical monuments to Emperor Nicholas II, Alexander Pushkin, Maxim Gorky, Nikolai Ostrovsky within the space of the city quite naturally coexist with amusing figures of owls, dogs, street musicians. On the territory of the Seaport, where a few scenes of the famous comedy The Diamond Hand were filmed, there is now a sculptural group depicting the characters of that hit movie. Near the Pushkin library in 1913, they erected the monument representing the Gun and Anchor in honor of the victory in the Russian-Turkish war - the only memorial in the country dedicated to that historic event. In Ploschad Iskusstv near the Art Museum there is a symbolic composition called The Golden Fleece, and in the village of Lazarevskoye one can see the majestic monument known as The Good Angel of Peace, opposite Festivalniy Concert Hall there is a monument to Vladimir Vysotsky, and in the resort town of Adler there are mosaic sculptures The Coral and The Fish by Zurab Tsereteli.

In increasing frequency the reason for a trip to the resort comes to be the event, which is defined as ”I just can’t miss it!”. It may be a festival, a concert, or an exhibition as tourists are attracted by a variety of formats, so the Sochi events calendar content and diversity is able to compete with the world capitals! What is especially nice, with interesting events taking place all the year round, there are almost no blank pages in that calendar, so Sochi can be called an all-season cultural resort. Kinotavr Film Festival, Velvet Seasons in Sochi Fashion Festival, Wits and Humour Club or KVN Festival, Crescendo International Music Festival, Akvadzhaz International Festival, and the New Wave international contest of young pop singers are held in Sochi every year. Thanks to the Cultural Olympics Sochi recurrently hosts a number of international and national events such as the Winter Festival of arts under the direction of Yuri Bashmet, Young Ballet of the world, Theatrical Olympus. The festival events, concerts of the best performers and musical groups are held at the legendary Zimniy Theatre, and the eternal classics are played in the Sochi Hall of Organ and Chamber music; the popular artistes perform close to the sea – in the Festivalniy, and in the mountains – in the brand new Rosa Hall. At the same time, significant cultural events rarely stay within the boundaries of the stage or concert venues: in consonance with the distinctive spirit of southern cities, Sochi invariably splashes the joviality into the streets and squares. Often, in order to become a spectator and even a participant of a magnificent show, you do not need to buy tickets! For example, the Grand celebration in honor of the holiday season opening - the Carnaval Sochi Fest - annually attracts more than 20 000 spectators who with excitement watch the carnival all along its way from Zimniy Teatr to the square by the Southern Mall. It is difficult to imagine a cultural event that has not yet been, is not, or will not take place in Sochi! The famous Cirque du Soleil performed here many times, and as well as that the city hosted air shows, hot air balloon festivals, the World championship of Fireworks, light shows, and the state of the art technology and magnificent multimedia Fountain Show. The audience and the organizers of major activities, and the talented ambitious directors and artistes are so interested in the main Russian resort that a considerable number of events takes place here with the specification of “only in Sochi”. For example, a number of inimitable shows such as circus musicals and diverse genre performances get specially designed for the new Sochi performance locations Sochi Park and Rosa Khutor in order to intrinsically fit into their unique landscapes. The festival city is generously bestowing amazing impressions on its visitors all the year round and every day. Believe me, YOU just simply cannot miss this! Download the action plan for 2019.

Everyone knows that the tourism industry is one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy, but do you know that tourism has its own internal champion? OLE-OLE-OLE!  The segment of tours to attend sporting events is growing 3.5 times faster than the industry as a whole! That is why if you consider yourself one of a huge and mighty army of sports tourists, you either have already been, or will soon be in Sochi! The city, which hosted the Winter Games-2014, has the right to be considered the sports capital of Russia. The Olympic infrastructure is not only well preserved here, it is developing and remains in constant demand. The ice palace Bolshoy is the home base of the ice hockey club Sochi, its arena hosts matches of the Continental hockey League and other events. The Olympic stadium Fisht is being prepared to receive the matches of the World Cup. Ice shows and hockey matches are held in Iceberg, the training arena of which is available for those who are fond of ice skating. The ice arena Shaiba functions as an all-Russian children's sports and recreation center and hosts competitions of different levels. The former mountain Olympic village provides its facilities for competitions held on the slopes. The main resort of the country is a real champion in the number of sports events held here at the highest level. Judge for yourself: only in 2017, Sochi hosted more than 80 high profile competitions, including ten Championships of Russia, one European and one world Championships, as well as the Military World Games. The spectators and the fans could watch the competition of the best athletes in such sports as luge, curling, fencing, table tennis, walking, boxing, checkers, chess, wrestling, snowboarding, bobsleigh, freestyle, football and mini-football, skiing, rhythmic gymnastics, skyrunning, cycling, skeleton, powerlifting, orienteering, sailing... Is not it a variety? In 2018, Sochi will host the World Football Cup – a mega-event in the world of sports, which every true fan dreams of visiting. Traditionally, a huge number of speed lovers will gather at Formula 1 at Sochi Autodrom. And even those who are infinitely far from sports and prefer a quiet lenient rest, are able right from the beach to contemplate the fascinating yachts of one of the many Sochi regattas. So, even if you are going to Sochi only to admire the beautiful nature and breathe the sea or mountain air, look at the sports calendar of the city. It is likely that there will be a spectacular event that you may want to visit. It is checked and proved: sports tourism has a huge advantage over classical rest – a fabulous emotional component. Do you remember? When Sochi hosted the Olympics, everyone felt the indescribable atmosphere of a Grand sports festival, and a keen interest in the competition arose even among those who had never been a fan before. No wonder it is said: "Oh, sport, you are the world!» Discover this world – in Sochi!

“A Person is what he eats,” says the popular wisdom. It is enough for a guest of Sochi to look at the local residents – full of energy, lighthearted, friendly and cheerful - to make a direct link between the typical southern character and the local cuisine. To come to Sochi and not enjoy such gastronomic marvels as shashlyk, khinkali, khachapuri, chebureks is unthinkable! In addition, the list of magically delicious dishes that you can treat yourself to at the main resort of the country is not limited to Caucasian cuisine – there are culinary hits of different countries and nations at every step!

Business tourism is an important part of modern corporate culture, and the desire to combine business and leisure is inherent in everyone who values time, money and their own health. Therefore, Sochi is the best place for business events! It is not for nothing that negotiations between heads of state are increasingly often taking place here.

A sea cruise is a real dream trip. One does not experience any road inconveniences, relaxing lightheartedly and having fun, enjoying the fresh sea air and a continuous change of impressions. Sounds great, doesn't it? And it really comes true, because the starting point for a dream trip can be Sochi!