"We would like to make stops in the port of Sochi. We think this city could be a very attractive destination in Russia, where our tourists would like to go," Alessandro Bottaro said.
According to the company's sales director, Costa Cruises used to have the Black Sea cruises with stops in the cities of Yalta and Odessa, which were very popular.
"We are hoping to be able to offer Black Sea travel to our clients again," Bottaro noted.
The company's ships make stops in the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.
According to Bottaro, Costa Cruises is planning to expand the number of their ships and is studying the market to add new the routes accordingly.
"Cruises with stops in Russian ports are extremely popular with the company's clients. St. Petersburg is especially popular… Every seven days, we bring 3,000 tourists to St. Petersburg, 90 percent of which leave the ship and go on tours," the sales and marketing director said.
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According to Bottaro, some tourists travel to Moscow on a high-speed train during the ship's two-day stop in St. Petersburg.
The company has also received many positive reviews from clients who visit Vladivostok as part of Japan cruise.
"The visa waiver for passengers of cruise ships that arrive in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok has helped significantly increase demand among the foreign tourists," Bottaro explained.
Costa Cruises also hopes to double the number of Russian customers by 2020.
