Billions of dollars have been spent readying Sochi for the Olympics, but who will come once the Games are over? "The Olympics will help us make (Sochi) popular around the world," says deputy tourism chief Malorodnova Julia Vladimirovna (pictured).
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Plenty of hotel rooms, but guests? —
The Sochi region has been completely transformed in the run-up to the Olympics -- new hotels (such as this one) have doubled the number of rooms to 50,000.
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Olympic Park —
The new 40,000-seat Fisht Stadium (left) and Bolshoi Ice Dome (right) dominate the horizon at the Olympic Park. Roads linking all the new Olympics facilities have confused cab drivers.
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Athletes' village —
In the coastal area of the Olympic Park, the athletes' village will be turned into beach apartments after the Games. The plan is to make Sochi a Russian vacation resort again.
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Chains move in —
International hotel companies have moved into Sochi hoping to capitalize on all the investment. The Tulip Inn Hotel (pictured), a Dutch company, plus Radisson, Hyatt and Marriott all have a presence.
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Welcome to Sochi Park —
A market research firm has predicted more than enough visitors to make Sochi's $700 million new theme park break even.
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Hotel Riviera —
In 1909 the first hotel, Riviera, was built on the Sochi shore. The Soviets later developed the resort for working people.
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Stalinist style —
Downtown Sochi has impressive buildings. Built in 1952, the railway station (pictured) is a good example of "late Stalinist" style.
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Luxurious seafront —
Boutiques and expensive restaurants are clustered along the Sochi shore. The new harbor cost a reported $230 million.
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Devil's Gate —
Within the Sochi region, the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve is the second largest of its kind within Europe. Devil's Gate Canyon (pictured) has five-meter-deep freshwater pools for swimming.
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Sochi Park —
Paul Beck (pictured) heads Sochi's $700 million new theme park. "Change in Russia has been huge, even in a year. A new generation's coming," he says.
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Keeping it real —
"We don't want a copy of Eurodisney," Beck says. The Russians "want to keep their own culture" -- even if the roller coasters are all foreign made.
