Vitali Taks, reviewer of Morskiye Vesti On August 2, Saturday, the Julia ferry moored at the berth of marine passenger terminal in Gavan. Hundreds of passengers were delivered from Finland to the city on the Neva by Helsinki – St. Petersburg ferry service. After a several-year pause, regular connection between St. Petersburg and European countries resumed. No special excitement was evoked in relation with the ferry arrival. The ferry was greeted by a small orchestra, representatives of the Big Port services and agency company, newsmen. Meanwhile the new service linking the two maritime centers of the Baltic Sea is to become quite popular among both Russian and Finnish tourists with time. It is suffice to say the launch of the service was supported by the governments of the two countries and the President of Finland, in particular. The promising future of the new service is clear for St. Petersburg Administration. Competitive advantages are obvious – convenient schedule (the ferry leaves late at night and arrives in the morning), price policy is also attractive; one way costs EUR 10 with a single cabin ticket costing about a hundred euros, which is quite comparable with the existing bus service. Yuri Molchanov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg The ferry service will operate in both directions. First of all, I think the number of tourists coming to St. Petersburg will grow as well as the number of our tourists. I think it will be good for both the economy of St. Petersburg and for our citizens, who get the opportunity to spend their free time in a different way. Of course, it is an advantage and a pleasure for our neighbors as they get a new opportunity to come to St. Petersburg. At the press conference held on board the ferry immediately on its arrival, representatives of Finnish and Russian side noted that the interest to tourism is very high today in both countries. In the nearest future the number of tourists is likely to double. The Government and the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg have suggested introducing an amendment to the law by which ferry and cruise ship passengers would be able to stay in Russia Yuri Molchanov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg We initiated the amendment. I think this amendment is to be approved in autumn after an adequate year-long discussion. The issue of visa-free regime was an obstacle for the former services between St. Petersburg and the European countries. It resulted in their unprofitability and closure. If the issue is solved the Finnish side ensures everything necessary for passengers and, if needed, opens additional ferry services. However, our northern partners say, commercial aspect of the project is to be discussed in a few months. Kari Juvas, without a visa for up to 72 hours.
CEO "Stella Lines Company" What is important here is that we are neighbors. We are tovisit each other. There are many people today who wish to travel and to visit our countries. They should have an opportunity to come to each other. Visiting each other is becoming more comfortable. The ferry has over 300 cabins, entertainment deck, conference-hall, cinema, children’s playground, several restaurants and casinos. The ferry is capable of carryingover 2,000 passengers. Esenia Petrakovskaya, correspondent of Morskiye Vesti Arrival of the Julia ferry opens new opportunities for tourism business. Passengers of St. Petersburg – HelsinkiRussia having escaped long queues at the border. Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Yuri Molchanov is sure the number of tourists coming to our city by sea is to grow considerably in the nearest future. On September 10, a80 in 2009. Those cruise ships are to be up to 300-m long. ferry service can visit the maritime capital of new passenger terminal on Vasiljevski island will accept the first cruise ship and the number of calls at new berths will grow to
