CSM:
SOCHI, RUSSIA – At first glance, the view from Sochi’s Black Sea shore looks almost perfect: sparkling blue sea, a broad band of beach backed by palm trees and green hills, a range of snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Then a freight train rumbles down the beachfront within a few feet of sunbathers – and the idyll shatters.
The legacy of hamhanded Soviet planners is only one of many obstacles facing tour operators as they try to entice Western travelers to post-Soviet Russia.
Though it is the world’s largest country, with natural wonders, unique architecture, and famous art museums, Russia places almost last among European lands as a tourist destination.