Since being awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Russian city of Sochi has seen a massive increase in development and investment. The Black Sea Resort town has long been a popular place for Russian holiday travelers, but now it is seeking to become a destination for international travelers and winter sports enthusiasts.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised to invest some US $12 billion in government money into the town and its facilities in order to host the games. The goal is to transform the town into an Olympic city with great venues and make it a Mediterranean style resort as well. The Sochi International Airport (AER) is being renovated and expanded to handle the expected traffic increase. There are also plans for a light rail and metro system to help deliver visitors to the different sites and venues in and around the city.
The quiet town of Bukhta, about 45 kilometers down the Black Sea coast from Sochi, is slated to be the home of the Olympic Village. Here will be an Olympic Park, media center, housing for athletes and some of the competition venues. The nearby Caucasus Mountains are seeing new ski resorts go up, including one being sponsored by Gazprom, the Russian energy company. With much more to come, this old resort town will look new before long.
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