Ilsur Metshin on tourism in Kazan: “There is no limit to growth”

The ESG Forum “Sustainable Development in Hospitality” is taking place in Kazan today. The event brought together about 150 owners, top managers and representatives of hotels and restaurants from the republic of Tatarstan. The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin spoke at the plenary session of the forum.

In his speech, Ilsur Metshin reminded that today there are 230 accommodation facilities of different categories in the capital of the republic of Tatarstan, which is more than 8 thousand rooms for 17 thousand beds. This development was facilitated by investments in the city's infrastructure, holding international events, and the interest of entrepreneurs in the development of the industry.

The Mayor recalled 2009, when on the eve of the Summer Universiade, the city lacked hotels. After that, city and republican programs began to be implemented in Kazan, which encouraged investors to invest money in accommodation facilities. In three years, the number of hotels in the capital of the republic of Tatarstan has grown by 27%, and the number of tourists has increased from 450 thousand in 2005 to 3.6 million in 2022.

“But there is no limit to growth. A man studies all his life, so the industry must develop constantly. The moment has come when we need to grow up together with you. We are waiting for the Games of the Future, as well as the BRICS summit in autumn 2024. Already 33 countries have confirmed the participation of their delegations. We have never hosted such a forum in our entire history. This will be another challenge,”- Ilsur Metshin said.

In this regard, the topic of today's forum – environmental, social and corporate governance in the hospitality sector – is becoming more and more trending. Following these principles is manifested not only in reasonable consumption and respect for the environment, but also in using locally made goods and supporting local producers, thus reducing the effect of financial leakage to foreign producers.

Ilsur Metshin called on the joint efforts of business and authorities to develop and implement relevant environmental standards, while taking into account the current realities in Kazan and in the republic with an eye to world experience. As a positive experience, the Mayor gave examples of goods and solutions presented at the exhibition that opened before the forum.