NEWS

The manager of the hotel "Relita-Kazan", the President of the Association of hotels of Kazan and Tatarstan made a presentation "Events as a Driver of the Hotel Market": in January 2017 at the general meeting of hotels of the Republic of Tatarstan it was decided to create the Association of hotels of Kazan and Tatarstan. This was one of the most important events for our hotel industry. Today the Association includes 60 hotels in the republic from the cities of Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny and Elabuga.

The Association of hotels is a professional association of hotels created to protect the interests of hoteliers and provide assistance in basic professional issues.

There are a lot of tasks for the Association of hotels, especially I would like to highlight the main ones:

1. Creation of an open platform of interaction and cooperation and exchange of experience of the hotel industry with the authorities, with specialized educational institutions, tour operators, with large Russian hotel communities (Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, RGA, etc.) and so forth.
2. Creation of a unified system of hotel informing about laws, upcoming events, professional actions and interests.
3. Assistance to the members of the AH in carrying out professional activity, protection of interests of hospitality industry enterprises.

During the short period of the existence of the Association of hotels, the following has been held:

1. The cycle of meetings "Business and Authority: Frank Talk" on the subject of hotel checks;
2. The Extended Session on Hotel Security in July 2017;
3. Speech at the Council on Entrepreneurship under the President of the RT in January 2018;
4. Interaction with the following state authorities is established: The Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Tatarstan for the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Rosgvardiya, Rospotrebnadzor and others.
5. The memo on registration of foreign citizens was compiled jointly with the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Tatarstan for the Russian Federation; the methodical instructions for the preparation of hotels on safety standards - with the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
6. The issue of providing parking for tourist buses from hotels in the city center has been solved

Also, there are still open issues of hotels that need to be solved:

1. prohibition of placing the roof signs of hotels in the center on the territory of the Security Zone Project "Ensemble of the Kazan Kremlin"
2. reduction (according to Moscow's experience) of the tax rate on real estate property and land tax rate, calculated now from the cadastral value
3. reduction of the tax rate on movable property of hotels

The volume of the key count as of January 1, 2018 was:

• collective accommodation facilities of 17,528 beds in Kazan,
• collective accommodation facilities of more than 38,000 beds in the Republic of Tatarstan.

According to the statistics provided by the Tourism Development Center of the RT, the average load of hotels in the city of Kazan increased slightly compared to 2016 with an indicator of 55% and reached the value of 56%. The dynamics of indicators for the average load of hotels in 2017 was ambiguous and in its majority was stated under the sign of decline in comparison with the indicators of 2016. The unpleasant surprise was the decline in the load indicators in April (-6%) and May (-4%) compared to 2016 - precisely in those months, which invariably were a period of high load. Also the decline was in August (-3%), September (-1%) and October (-3%). The growth in comparison with 2016 was recorded in February (+2%) and March (+6%), June (+5%), July (+3%) and December (+4%).

Hotel indicators such as the Average Daily Rate (ADR) and the Revenue per available room (RevPAR) in 2017 have risen and have shown positive dynamics.

Thus, despite the decline in load in most months of 2017 relative to 2016 (except June, July, November and December), the growth of tariffs since the beginning of the year and the holding of the FIFA Confederations Cup in June, and as a consequence, the rise in Average Daily Rate and Revenue per available room allowed the hotels to achieve positive dynamics in comparison with 2016 and to increase annual figures on revenue and profitability.

For comparison data on load of Moscow and St. Petersburg:

So, according to the analytical agency "Cushman & Wakefield", "... for the first half of 2017 (January to August), the load indicators of Moscow do not show the convincing growth - neither in volumes, nor in tariffs, except for the FIFA Confederations Cup".

According to Hotel Advisors, hotels in St. Petersburg "... according to the results of 3 quarters (January-September) in 2017 showed a significant decline in the load and only the increase in prices allowed them to increase their profitability indicators".

Analyzing the load schedule for Kazan in 2017, we see that the peak of the load falls on the months and days of major events. The growth of the indicators in comparison with 2016 was fixed:

• in March (+6%) – children's festivals and vacations;
• in June (+5%) – the holding the FIFA Confederations Cup;
• in July (+3%) - the beach games competitions, Red bull air race,  International Conference MINEPS VI, Sabantuy, Summer Campus of the Presidential Academy, TNA fights and other events;
• in November (+4%) - the holding of children's vacations and holidays, sports competitions of the Swimming Championship and Swimming Cup;
• in December (+4%) - the celebration of the New Year holidays.

If we remember 2010 and 2011, such a growth was brought by such large-scale events and actions as the rock festival "Creation of the World", the tour of the Cirque du Soleil and the concert of Elton John in 2013.

As we see any show, ceremony, concert, various theatrical performances, festivals, also holding major sporting events or holding business international symposiums, conferences, seminars can be an excellent source for growth in the load and revenue of infrastructure venues: during the huge events, hotels, restaurants and shops selling souvenirs and other thematic attributes are also earning.

As examples of the world practice of using events to attract attention to the city and the country, one can mention:

1. the Carnival of Brazil and the Carnival of Venice
2. the Flower Parade in Amsterdam in September
3. the Moldova wine festival
4. the Oktoberfest in Germany
5. Fashion shows in Paris and Milan
6. Montreux Jazz Festival
7. Salzburg Music Festival
8. Kinotavr Film Festival in Sochi

How much it is interesting and profitable can be judged by the example of the large-scale Munich annual beer festival Oktoberfest. It lasts 2 weeks. Beer there really flows like water: for each festival its guests drink about six million litres of this beverage. According to statistics, at this time the city takes about six million tourists and the turnover of financial resources at the holiday is about 450 million euros.

All of the above mentioned proves that event tourism is a powerful driver for the hotel industry and the entire tourism industry as a whole. It is able to attract big money into the economy of the region and increase the load of hotels, restaurants in the period of traditionally low season."

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

On January 25th the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan will host a traditional event for all students of "Tatiana Day in the Museum".

The museum staff this year has prepared a new program for future students, the idea of which is the orientation of pupils when entering universities.

On the same day, a quest game "Notes of a scientist ..." will be held for museum visitors, which will allow present and future students to get acquainted with the unique exhibits of the museum's founder A.F. Likhachev.

From 18 to 21 January 2018, the Republic of Tatarstan takes part in the International Tourist Exhibition "Matka Nordic Travel Fair". The exhibition dedicated to travel is held in Helsinki for the 26th time. Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the largest event in the Northern European tourism industry: the exhibition annually collects on one site more than 600 participants – representatives of tour operators and travel agencies, embassies and national tourist offices from 50 countries of the world. The event is attended by over 70 000 guests and 20 000 industry professionals.

The Republic of Tatarstan is represented by a separate booth "Visit Tatarstan" of 30 sq. m, on which officers of the State Committee for Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as two tour operators "Persona Grata" and "Travel & Work" work. The representatives of the republic tell about the most attractive routes for Finnish guests and possibilities of travel in Tatarstan.

On April 26th, Belavia Airlines opens direct flights from Minsk to Kazan. Air travelers will have the opportunity to fly from Minsk to Kazan on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 11:50 PM according to the Moscow time. The return flight from the capital of Tatarstan will take place at 04:30 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The Russian hotel reservation service Tvil.ru determined the cities most popular with tourists in the Volga Federal District (VFD) based on the results of 2017. The rating was prepared according to the data concerning the reservations made in hotels and apartment hotels in 2017.

Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Perm, Ufa, Saratov, Izhevsk, Ulyanovsk, Cheboksary, and Saransk hit the top ten cities of the Volga Federal District popular with tourists.

Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, and Saransk will host FIFA World Cup matches in June and July 2018. Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Samara will hold 6 matches of the 2018 World Cup, and Saransk – 4 matches.

According to Tvil.ru, last year, tourists made reservations in Kazan hotels and apartment hotels on average for 4 nights and paid 3.1 thousand rubles per day.

Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan Sergey Ivanov delivered a presentation of the tourism potential of the Republic of Tatarstan at the plenary meeting of the presentation session on the cultural and tourist potential of the cities participating in the 2018 World Cup in Vienna.

It bears reminding that the International Tourism Exhibition Fair Ferien Messe Wien 2018 was opened on January 11th, which runs from January 11th through January 13th.  A thematic section was held today: "Gastronomic brands of the Cities Hosting the World Cup 2018," where Çäkçäk (Chak-Chak) was exhibited as the main gastronomic brand of Tatarstan. A separate stand showing the tourist opportunities of the Republic of Tatarstan is also presented.

The Chistopol State Historical and Architectural and Literature Preserve Museum prepared a new tourist product. This is a unique interactive program called the Merchant Sunday in Chistopol. The first group participated in the program at the New Year's Eve. The guests came from Kazan.

The uniqueness of this program lies in the fact that the guests are invited to live a day in a merchant city with all the relevant attributes – a walk through the historical center, a visit to a temple, a merchant's meal, a visit to a real merchant's mansion, where the masters of the house meet and occupy them

6,500 people visited the Residence of Kysh Babay and Kar Kyzy in the village of Yana Kyrlay of the Arsky region during the New Year holidays. By contrast, during the same period of the last year, this figure was equal to 5,000.

It bears reminding that the Residence of Kysh Babay and Kar Kyzy is located in a fantastic snow fir forest, on the bank of the river Iya, 80 kilometers from the city of Kazan in the village of Yana Kyrlay. A journey to the fairy tale begins with a forest customs, where Shaitan meets the guests and leads them into the dominion of Kysh Babay. The guests will have to get to the house of the same Kysh Babay using the Shurale's map. On their way, the guests will have a lot of adventures – ancient fairy tales, difficult riddles, magic and miracles, as well as fairy tale characters: Shurale is a connoisseur of all the forest roads and paths (similar to the Forest Spirit), friendly and not evil Shaitan (similar to the dickens known as Tchort), merry Ubyly Karchyk (similar to the old witch known as Baba Yaga), ancient Azhdakha (similar to the serpent/dragon known as Zmey Gorynych), strong and brave Batyr (similar to the heroic character known as Bogatyr), beautiful Altynchech (similar to Goldilocks), lovers Takhir and Zukhra (similar to Romeo and Juliet), who will entertain travelers with numerous ordeals.

The residence is open until January 28th.

Kazan hits the top five cities in terms of Christmas travel, and without notice of the urban resorts – the top three Christmas cities. This is proved by the data of the popular hotel reservation service.

According to the service in question, tourists made hotel reservations during the first ten days of January in the capital of Tatarstan on average for four nights and spent on living 4 thousand rubles per day per family. In Moscow – for five nights (3.8 thousand rubles per day), and in St. Petersburg – for 4.5 nights (4.7 thousand rubles per day). Ten leaders are as follows: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Yalta, Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, Kislovodsk, Vologda, and Veliky Novgorod.

The rating is based on an analysis of reservations made in hotels and apartment hotels from January 6th through January 8th, 2018.