I. Metshin: “There is still much to learn to promote Kazan as a tourist megacity”

(KZN.RU, April 24, Alsu Safina). Today Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of the Tatarstan’s capital, shared his impressions of the working visit to Spain on the Business Monday in the Executive Committee. In particular, about visiting the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The head of the city noted that Kazan has a lot to learn to promote the city as a tourist megacity.

“They presented all their projects in large scale, pointing out the special role of Kazan in the “Silk Road”, said the Mayor, describing the meeting at the UNWTO headquarters. “You know how important this project is, the heads of state personally are engaged in it, and many tourism forums, exhibitions, and meetings of not only tourist organizations and ministers of tourism but also foreign ministers are dedicated to it”.

“This can be compared with impressions, for example, when after school you get into a large audience of the Kazan Federal University. The sensations are completely different”, said I. Metshin. “So is here. We meet a lot, talk, try to build partnerships, but we have much to grow. We can and need to learn a lot. This will help in the advancement of Kazan as a tourist megacity”.

Daria Sannikova, the director of the Tourism Promotion Committee, reminded that the presentation of the tourist potential of Kazan for 60 representatives of the leading tour operators of the country was held on April 19 at the Russian Embassy in Spain. Particular attention was paid to Kazan's experience in holding major international events and preparing for the FIFA World Cup-2018.

D. Sannikova also said that on April 6-8, Kazan took part in the international exhibition in Baku, which gathered 272 companies from 22 countries, representing almost 90 directions of tourism. As a result of the exhibition, the Kazan stand was awarded the certificate of the exhibition’s organizers as the best presentation of a city.

The international specialized exhibition “Tourism and Sport” was held at the Kazan Fair from 13 to 15 of April. Every day, within the framework of the stand presentation, the chefs of the city's leading restaurants conducted master classes on the cooking of Tatar national dishes: chak-chak, kosh-tele and peremyach. The Department of Food and Social Supply of Kazan presented an assortment of national baked goods of its own production.

The 8th International Conference of Cities of the World Heritage of Eurasia “Heritage, Children and Tourism” was held in the Turkish city of Safranbolu on April 22-23. As D. Sannikova noted, the exhibition “World Heritage of Eurasia” was organized in the framework of the conference, at which the Kazan stand was made in the style of the Tatar leather mosaic. Souvenir products with the symbols of the capital of Tatarstan were in great demand among the participants of the conference.

Further, D. Sannikova reported on plans for participation in international tourism exhibitions in Astana and London. Banner advertising of Kazan will appear in Astana within the framework of twin-city relations in the near future, and advertisement of Astana – in Kazan.

This year, the practice of holding press tours around Russian cities for the development of domestic tourism was continued. The delegation of Kazan visited Yoshkar-Ola, Kirov, and Cheboksary on March 21-28. D. Sannikova drew attention to the fact that children's and medical tourism caused interest from tour operators of host cities. As a result of the press tour, agreements on cooperation in the field of tourism will be signed with these cities in the near future.