Aleksei Pesoshin: The sphere of tourism in recent years has become one of the dynamically developing branches of the economy of Tatarstan

The sphere of tourism in recent years has become one of the priority and dynamically developing branches of the economy of Tatarstan. This was announced today by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Aleksei Pesoshin at the proceeding of the Final Board of the State Committee on Tourism of RT, dedicated to the results of the authority in 2017. 

Aleksei Pesoshin in his speech stressed that the development of infrastructure, holding the major international events and the positive investment climate allowed Tatarstan to become one of the leaders in the development of tourism in Russia. Thus, in the reporting year more than 3 million tourists visited Tatarstan.

"Today, the Republic and its capital Kazan has something to see, where to rest. Specific activities for the development of tourism are included in the state program "Development of Tourism and Hospitality in the Republic of Tatarstan for 2014-2020," - the Prime Minister of RT said. - This year, in addition to the traditional venues, industrial enterprises of the Republic, as well as villages and hamlets with unique cultural and ethnic potential, have become available for tourists."  

Two historical holy sites - the ancient city of Bolgar and the island-city of Sviyazhsk - are popular in the guests of the republic. Today, each of them is visited by half a million tourists.

The tourist map of Tatarstan consists of a lot of tourist centers. According to the Chairman of the Government of RT, good performance is demonstrated by Elabuga, Chistopol, Tetyushi. Last year, the Republic of Tatarstan and its attractions were repeatedly recognized by the leaders of many Russian and international tourism development ratings.

Speaking about the quality and level of service at tourist venues, Aleksei Pesoshin called to remember that the number of foreign tourists is constantly growing. In 2017, there were about 280 thousand of them. "In this regard, we must take care of compliance with international standards at all venues of the tourist industry. The impression of our region depends on the level of hospitality that the guests see in our republic. In this direction, the work should be organized constantly", – the Chairman of the Government of RT said.

Aleksei Pesoshin stressed that tourism venues should be accessible and convenient for tourists. It concerns transport hubs, museums, hotels, restaurants, the information on venues in foreign languages, the staff with knowledge of foreign languages and corresponding level of service of foreign visitors is necessary. Besides, it is necessary to create a system of tourist navigation, understandable for any tourist, which is especially important in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup – 2018.

"When making management decisions at the tourist venues we must understand that they should be oriented towards tourists. This applies to the standards and working time pattern of museum venues, theatres, sports venues, cafes and restaurants", - the Prime Minister of RT said.

Aleksei Pesoshin called for special attention to the development of the domestic tourist flow: "It is the ecotourism, rural tourism, and event tourism. A special role in the promotion of domestic tourism belongs to the media and, first of all, the possibilities of the Internet resource".

Great potential in attraction of tourists can be revealed in work with the ethnic and cultural autonomies of the Tatars and Tatar diasporas in the regions of the Russian Federation and outside of the country, the Prime Minister of RT considers. The important component in this direction is the organization of presentations of tourist opportunities of Tatarstan in various subjects of Russia and countries of the distant and near abroad, where the Tatars live.

It should be noted that the development of domestic tourism is one of the strategic initiatives of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Russia, the Federal Target Program on the Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism, designed for 2011-2018, is realized. Within its framework, under the conditions of public-private partnership in the regions of Russia the contemporary infrastructure is created. The Russian President notes that the potential of domestic Russian tourism is enormous, and it is necessary to continue active work in terms of infrastructure development. "Tatarstan has grown strongly in terms of domestic tourism. We have a large territory, and it cannot be uninteresting. There is a program for the development of domestic tourism, we will continue it. Domestic tourism is inexhaustible, it is simply unlimited. It is necessary only to create conditions, it is necessary, that people could reach comfortably and could spend time there", - the Russian leader added.

RT President press service