Return to paradise - Russian tourists in Abkhazia

Underwater scene, Pitsunda

A view from the top, seen by a broken window glass, of the Pitsunda beach at the Black Sea. Two men are looking at the Black Sea, sitting on a concrete platform. Sukhumi The Black Sea seen from the top of Pitsunda resort hotel A man in swimming trunks lies on the beach in Gagra, the busiest resort in Abkhazia, very close to Sochi Olympic site and Russian border. Sukhum beach The `Gold Fleece` hotel in Pitsunda, once famous, belonging to Intourist - the official state travel agency of the Soviet Union. The `Gold Fleece` canteen in Pitsunda, belonging to Intourist, Pitsunda A A beach destroyed during the 92-94 independence war, north of the capital Sukhumi. Russian tourists in Gagra, the busiest resort in Abkhazia, very close to Sochi Olympic site and Russian border. A recent mural painting in a canteen in Pitsunda, belonging to Intourist - the official state travel agency of the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1929 by Joseph Stalin and was staffed by NKVD and later KGB officials. Intourist was responsible for managing the great majority of foreigners` access to, and travel within, the Soviet Union Tourist walk by an abandoned hotel in Gagra, the busiest resort in Abkhazia, very close to Sochi Olympic site and Russian border. Russian tourists are fishing for fun in Pitsunda A local artist is painting a ruin (not pictured) the Great Abkhaz Wall (Kelasuri Wall) located to the east of Sukhumi. A woman is hiding from the shadow beneath a building in ruins, which carries the sign `Danger`. Sukhumi Underwater scene, Pitsunda Sukhumi beach A Russian tourist is fishing for fun, Sukhumi. A girl jumps into the sea from the remnants of a concrete structure built by the shore, Sukhumi beach Nina and her daughter (background) fish from a jetty for Frog fish, Ochamcira A girl is swimming as in the background other tourist is fishing in the Black Sea, Sukhumi Gagra,a woman in the Black Sea Underwater scene; a man is using his flip-flops to swim better, Pitsunda Pitsunda beach Russian tourists are dancing near the shore at the Sukhumi Red Army Sanatorium, a holiday complex owned by a Moscow army regiment. Pistunda beach A group of children use a partially submerged concrete block, that stands in the sea just off the Black Sea resort of Gagra, as a platform from which to dive into the water. Policemen are chatting and playing cards with a young boy, Sukhumi A woman works in the kitchen of the Chernomorets (Black Sea) Hotel, Gadauta. A man is smoking in the water as a kid is playing around, Sukhumi Tourist in new part of the Gragra city, the busiest resort in Abkhazia, very close to Sochi Olympic site and Russian border. An old man on the beach - in the background are the pillows of a construction destroyed in the 92-93 war with Georgia, Ochamcira Tourists view and photograph monkeys in cages at the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Sukhumi A tourist si filming a monkey at the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Sukhumi, a run-down research centre which was once the pride of Soviet science. A tourist reacts when he sees a Caucasian bear cub, as a local asks the equivalent of a few euros to take a picture with him. A bear being held in captivity for 14 years is the main attraction of a traditional Abkhaz restaurant near Sukhumi A man jumps through a waterfall on the outskirts of the collapsed ex-mining town of Tkvarcheli. This is a place popular for locals, where they often came for picnics or to stop, have a drink and enjoy the waterfall Tourist are visiting the Novi Afon Cave; a natural formation, known as the Skeleton, can be seen in the middle People are relaxing at the hot thermal springs in Kyndyg.

On the shores of the Black Sea, 20 km from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, lies Abkhazia, a breakaway territory from Georgia. During the Cold War, this strip of coast was the prime holiday destination for the Soviet elite. The region’s snow-capped mountains descending into idyllic beaches surrounded by palm trees, mandarins, tea plants, clean blue water, the best Caucasian cuisine and a continental climate meant every Soviet citizen’s dream was to spend a holiday here. It was rumoured that only those citizens of the USSR who had “pleased” the Soviet regime received a voucher from the authorities to visit here - a place where Stalin also stayed in his favorite dacha (holiday house).

However since the territory’s War of Independence between 1992 and 1993, Georgia and its allies, including the U.S., have been effective in isolating the republic. Only five countries — most notably Russia, which maintains a large military presence in Abkhazia — recognize the territory’s independence.

Abkhazia paid a high price for its self-determination: its industry is in ruins and poverty is rampant - an average salary is less than 600 Euro per year. The future of the region it’s not clear and the Abkhaz are still deliberating what to do with their freedom. Nevertheless a growing invasion is happening every summer: the Russian tourists are back. Official numbers indicate almost half a million holidaymakers are coming annually - double the entire Abkhaz population. For the first time since the fall of the USSR, the Abkhaz beaches are full. But this time it’s not the elite. They are heading to Sochi. Abkhazia is hosting the middle class who cannot afford the high prices of the Russian resorts. Trains from Moscow to the beach resort of Sukhumi arrive daily in the summer - a 36 hour journey. If Russians are travelling from regions in the north and east, it can take up to 72 hours to ride into the sun. Many hotels are in ruins as Sukhumi, Gagra and Ochamchira beaches have been the scene of the heavy fighting during the war. Services are lacking the quality of the Cold War period, but nothing stands in the way of a nation willing to fulfill their lifelong dream: to spend a holiday in Abkhazia.