Cruise Company Will Be Created by Petersburg and Kaliningrad

(Source: Visit Petersburg)

St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko met with Anton Alikhanov, the Governor of the Kaliningrad region.

During the meeting there were discussed the prospects of cruise shipping in the Baltic Sea basin, in development of which both regions are interested in. Creation of the new shipping cruise company was initiated by St. Petersburg. Kaliningrad has confirmed its readiness to support the project.

Today Petersburg has the advantages of a major European and world tourist centre. The city on the Neva River annually takes half a million cruise passengers. Many of them choose to travel around the Baltic Sea only if Petersburg is included. Every year the number of visitors arriving to Northern capital of Russia is growing. There are many reasons why this happens. Among other things, it is a possibility of 72-hour stay in the country without a visa.

"The creation of a new shipping company will give an additional impetus to cruise tourism development and to its Russian segment. The convenient location of our regions will contribute to an ability of a project to give economic effect," said Georgy Poltavchenko.

According to the Governor, implementation of the project with the participation of city and investors is planning through unification of Passenger Port of St. Petersburg and Marine Station. It is also planned to purchase a modern ice class ferry passenger vessel for year-round navigation. Currently, an economic model of the project is being worked out.

Anton Alikhanov, the Governor of the Kaliningrad region supported the initiative of St. Petersburg. He said that a new port will be built in the city of Pionersk, Kaliningrad region by 2020. It will become one of the points of the cruise route. Anton Alikhanov proposed to use preferential opportunities of the Kaliningrad special economic zone for realization of the joint project.