I.Metshin: "Nowadays, the tourism product is a complex set of factors, among which the "smart" solutions play a significant role"

Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin takes part in the VIII UNWTO Global summit on urban tourism "Smart cities, smart destinations", which is held in the capital city of Kazakhstan, Nur -Sultan. One of the main events of the forum was a round table - "Smart cities and tourism", at which the head of the capital of Tatarstan made a speech.

The mayor of Kazan told the summit delegates about the development of tourism in the capital of Tatarstan and stressed the role of the major international events that help to generate a tourist flow.

"Kazan sports calendar is scheduled for the years to come"

Kazan is the fifth Russian city with a tourist flow of more than 3 million people a year, - Ilsur Metshin noted. Last year, the capital of Tatarstan was visited by 3 million 200 thousand tourists, and since the beginning of this year - 2 million 800 thousand guests from around the world.

The fateful point and the beginning of the formation of the tourism industry as an economic sphere for the city has become a year of 2013, when the world summer Universiade was held in Kazan, recognized as the best in the history of the world student and youth sports competitions, the mayor said. He recalled that in the next few years, the capital of Tatarstan hosted many major sporting events: FINA championships, Confederations Cup, FIFA World Cup and others.

"Today the city of Kazan has a registered brand "the third capital of Russia", as well as "the sports capital of Russia", - said the mayor. "Major international events have become a driver for the development of the entire city infrastructure, and Kazan's sports calendar is scheduled for years to come".

"In 5 years, we have solved the problems that normally would take 15-20 years"

The improvement of hospitality plays an important role in the development of tourism, Ilsur Metshin noted in his report. Today, the hotel complex of Kazan is represented by 255 accommodation facilities for 19 thousand beds, including 146 hostels, 5 hotels of the international chains and 4 "five-star" hotels.

The level of urban infrastructure also affects the tourist flow. In recent years, the capital of Tatarstan has updated the railway stations, airport, street and road network, the mayor said.

Among the important factors of the city appeal I.Metshin called the development of the public spaces, which have become the areas for the attractive events, including the Christmas fair on the pedestrian Bauman str. and Peterburgskaya str., Sabantuy at the Old Tatar settlement, gastronomic festival "Tasty Kazan" and others.

"The city provides a level of comfort, security and events, which allowed Kazan to become one of the most attractive Russian cities. In 5 years, we have solved the problems that normally would take about 15-20 years", - I.Metshin said.

"Smart solutions play an important role in the development of tourism"

An important part in the creation of hospitality was the development of the pedestrian tourist navigation in three languages and the placement of QR codes on the stands near the main sights of Kazan, with the opportunity to get the audio-info in Russian, Tatar, English, Spanish and Chinese. Tourists are offered various types of excursions for any taste: standard walking , river, bicycle and even interactive.

"Kazan is a multi-faceted city. Someone is attracted by its ancient history, someone by modern venues, and someone admires the example of peaceful, creative coexistence of people of different faiths and cultures in Kazan", - Ilsur Metshin said.

As a result of this work, Kazan has traditionally been among the three most popular Russian cities for travel for several years, the mayor said. The demand of the city in the international tourist market is evidenced by the representation of Kazan in the international search systems, such as Booking.com or AirBnB.

"The way that we have passed in a short time, showed that only a cultural and architectural heritage is not enough to get a reputation as a successful tourist city, – said I.Metshin at the end of the speech. – Nowadays, the tourism product is a complex set of factors, among which the "smart" solutions play a significant role. And we are focused on finding and implementing the effective solutions to increase the tourist flow".

Note

VIII UNWTO Global summit on urban tourism "Smart cities, smart destinations" began on 9 October. The summit program includes seminars and panel discussions on "smart" tourism destinations. The summit is attended by the mayors of 15 major cities, foreign entrepreneurs, architects, journalists and representatives of government and tourism organizations from 80 countries.