MOSCOW IS AMONG 2017'S TOP 10 TOURIST DESTINATIONS|文化古城莫斯科 轉念擁抱觀光客

Meanwhile, the capital city of Russia, Moscow, is reinventing itself as a tourist destination. For long, the city has not been known for being tourist friendly despite its rich culture and history. However, in recent years, a push to improve local tourism by the government has proved to be more than fruitful. The city has been listed by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 world destinations to visit in 2017. From the shining cupolas of the Kremlin, magical St Basil's and awe-inspiring Red Square - Moscow has got it all. But it's only recently become a hot tourist destination. According to official figures from the tourist board, the country welcomed 20.7 million tourists in 2015, up 8 percent against 2014, and around six million tourists now visit Moscow each year. ==INGO German Visitor == I like it very much, that is why we are here in the winter, because it's a very nice place (Gorky Park). And of course I like a lot of restaurants and bars, it's very different and very interesting However, go back just six years and Gorky Park was a largely empty space with a Soviet-era fairground and none of today's food stands or attractions. The park is just one example of the massive face-lift that the city has undergone in recent years. ==GILLES CHENESSEAU VP, Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce Industry== There's been a lot of work - a huge renovation of the urban space has been carried out, with some streets completely reconstructed. Wider sidewalks and priority for pedestrians. Another notable change is new signage across the city's transport system. In the famous Moscow metro, tourists can now read signs and maps with Latin lettering rather than struggling to understand the Cyrillic alphabet. In addition, a recent foodie revolution has also turned the city into a great attraction for visitors from abroad. Tourists today have a much wider range of options than in the past, such as burgers made with Russian black bread bun and locally-produced craft beer. At the same time, a depreciating Russian rubble has made Moscow less prohibitively expensive. ==GILLES CHENESSEAU VP, Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce Industry== Now with the difficult economic situation (in Russia), we have a destination which is 30 or 40 percent cheaper. In fact, the biggest hurdle for Russian tourism is the country's perceived image in international society. Its shenanigans in Syria as well as its meddling with the US presidential election, certainly did not help foster a positive image for the country. ==JACK English Teacher from Australia == I feel like Australians - Australia is where I'm from - people have certain stereotypes about Russia and they haven't really met. I feel like the Russia I have seen so far hasn't really met them (the stereotypes). It's a more interesting place. For now, a priority for Russia would be to debunk those stereotypes on an international level. TRANSLATED BY：JEFF CHANG 克里姆林宮輝煌的圓頂、聖巴索教堂華麗獨特的外觀、乃至於雄偉的紅場，莫斯科不缺吸眼球景點，但觀光旅遊市場卻直到近兩年才開始揚眉吐氣。俄羅斯觀光局的統計顯示，2015年的遊客人數達兩千零七十萬人，較2014年成長了八個百分點，平均這一兩年每年造訪莫斯科的觀光客有將近六百萬人。 ==德國觀光客 伊格== 我很喜歡這裡 這就是為什麼我們冬天來此 因為這是非常好的地方(高爾基公園) 當然許多餐廳酒吧也是原因 非常特殊非常有意思 這名德國觀光客所在的位置，大名鼎鼎的高爾基公園六年前可不是這個樣子，只是座蘇聯舊時代的遊樂場，沒有小吃攤也沒有什麼可以參觀的設施。拜莫斯科市政府推行的大規模城市都更，高爾基有了今天這副新風貌。 ==俄羅斯法俄工商協會副主席 舍內索== 進行了許多工程 城市空間大幅度更新 有些街道全部重設 人行道變得更寬以行人優先 另一項新的改變是地鐵的標識系統，除了斯拉夫文之外增加了英文，讓國際遊客更容易辨視；近來莫斯科掀起的一股美食革命也讓遊客欣喜不已，三餐不再只有冷冰冰的酸麵包肉凍或是羅宋湯，而是多了具地方特色的黑麵包漢堡以及自釀啤酒。當然盧布重貶也讓原本高消費的莫斯科變得親民負擔得起。 ==俄羅斯法俄工商協會副主席 舍內索== 目前經濟情況吃緊之下 我們的目標是會便宜三成到四成 撇開吃喝玩樂不談，俄羅斯推行觀光旅遊最吃虧的卻是"國際形象"問題，出兵敘利亞以及擾亂美國大選等事件，讓不少外國人士習慣以"另類眼光"看待戰鬥民族。 ==住莫斯科澳洲英語教師 傑克== 我感覺澳洲人 我家鄉的人對俄羅斯有某些刻板印象 但實際上並不符合 就我目前所接觸到的俄國 並沒有發現那些(刻板印象) 這是個相當有趣的地方 記者 王蕙文 報導