I. Metshin: "One of our main goals is to make Kazan more attractive to tourists"

(KZN.RU, November 17, by Renat Shirmanov). The 1st International Tourism Forum "Landmarks of the Future" started in the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan. The opening ceremony of the forum, which is scheduled to last three days, was attended by Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

"Holding such a forum in Kazan is long overdue, considering the prospects of tourism in Tatarstan. We’re doing a lot in this area, especially on the eve of the 2013 Universiade,” said Ildar Khalikov.

Taking Kazan as an example, Mayor Ilsur Metshin spoke about the effect of international events on the growth of city attractiveness. He noted that the celebration of Kazan’s millennium had started mass tourism to the capital. "One of our main goals is to further increase Kazan’s appeal to tourists," said the mayor.

Kazan is learning from the international experience, primarily from Chinese cities and from the Canadian province of Quebec. It has also established cooperation with world’s leading companies engaged in the promotion of city brands.

"As a result, over the past five years, the number of tourists coming to our city has doubled. However, this figure should be much higher," admitted the Mayor of Kazan. In his opinion, the capital of Tatarstan will become more popular thanks to the hosting of international sports and cultural events. Ilsur Metshin reminded his audience that Kazan will host the World Summer Student Games in 2013, the World Aquatics Championship in 2015 and the soccer World Cup matches in 2018.

The forum participants had a chance to learn about the policies of the Federal Agency for Tourism. Its leader Alexander Radkov spoke about the status and prospects of tourism in Russia. Finland’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Matti Anttonen presented the concept of tourism development in his country.