(KZN.RU,
September 27, Anton Nozdrin). 2018 in Kazan can become the Year of Hospitality.
Today representatives of the tourist industry of the city made such a proposal
at a meeting with Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, which took place in the
multimedia interactive museum “Tatarskaya Sloboda”. The Mayor supported the
idea and congratulated the industry on the professional holiday, the World
Tourism Day.
Opening the
meeting, I. Metshin noted that the World Tourism Day for Kazan is already a
professional holiday for the city is a popular tourist destination now. The
capital of Tatarstan won first place in the rating of the most hospitable
Russian cities. “I congratulate you on this occasion and thank you. This is our
joint work”, said the Mayor.
The head of
the city reminded that about 460 thousand tourists visited the capital of
Tatarstan in the year of the Kazan millennium anniversary. It was after this
event that the decision was made to develop the tourism industry and the task
was set to overcome the bar of 1 million tourists a year. “The people said that
we don’t have a lot of things to become a tourist center. But we made bold
plans with you and passed this road together. Each of you developed your
direction, increased your level and professionalism”, addressed the Mayor the
representatives of the tourism industry.
The Mayor
noted that there are no small things in tourism. According to him, service in
the city came to a completely different level. Guests in hotels are met by
trained and self-confident staff, guides, tour operators have grown
professionally. “You work with love to the city, constantly improving. It's
great”, marked Ilsur Metshin.
Evgenia
Lodvigova, the first deputy head of the city, also cited several numbers and
facts that testify to the development of the industry. She noted that the
number of tourists in the city has grown almost fivefold in the last 10 years.
As a result, Kazan regularly takes the leading places in various tourist
ratings. This year the capital of the RT entered the top 3 Russian cities for
travel to the off-peak season.
The data of
the statistical research conducted by the Center for Tourism Development in the
summer of this year speak for themselves. 84.2% of tourists come to the capital
of Tatarstan for leisure and recreation, and about half of them have already
visited Kazan before. 90% of respondents prefer to come with their family and
friends, told Evgenia Lodvigova.
Representatives
of the tourism business came up with initiatives to develop the industry.
Tatiana Yakovleva, the general director of the ANO “I Help Kazan”, Oksana
Sargina, the general director of the Tourism Development Center of the RT,
Zufar Gayazov, the chairman of the Board of the Restaurateurs and Hoteliers
Association of Kazan and the RT, are among others. T. Yakovleva proposed to
declare the next year in Kazan as the Year of Hospitality. The project of the
industry development for the next year is proposed to be called “Hospitable
Kazan”. According to industry representatives, this would allow expanding and
diversifying the calendar of events. The participants believe that the proposal
is especially relevant given the holding of matches of the FIFA World Cup 2018
in the city.
Ilsur
Metshin approved the proposal. “We will receive a large number of guests. It is
necessary that this was not just a name. We must organize relevant events”,
instructed the head of the city and noted that the next bar, which the city
sets itself, is 2.7 million tourists a year.
The meeting
participants discussed the problematic issues of the industry as well. In
particular, representatives of hotels offered to organize various training
seminars for staff and special training for the chefs of the city's restaurants
in order to improve their skills, develop tourist routes and so on. Evgenia
Lodvigova noted that the development of tourism in the city lacks small and distinctive
hotels, two-three-star hotels, and one very good five-star hotel.
Ildar
Shakirov, the deputy head of the Executive Committee, Daria Sannikova, the
director of the Tourism Promotion Committee, Marat Usmanov, the prefect of the
“Stary Gorod”, and others also took part in the meeting.