‘Tatarstan. Land of 1001 delights’: ‘We designed even a bikini in this style’
Kandelaki’s partners elaborated a brand book of tourist Tatarstan for 2m rubles
Tatarstan will attract tourists with delights and Tatar hospitality. It is the main message of the concept Visit Tatarstan, which has been elaborated at the request of the regional authority. As Realnoe Vremya found out, it cost over 2m rubles and will increase the tourist flow fivefold within 15 years, according to the functionaries' idea. Now the designers showed the original brand, logo and told how Tatarstan might become a 'mother' for tourists. Nevertheless, the concept, which had being elaborated for a year, does not reflect the factual state of affairs but an 'ideal outlook'.
2 million rubles for Tatarstan delights
The head of the State Committee on Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan Sergey Ivanov explained the necessity of elaboration of the concept saying that many regions of Russia are similar among each other, so that a tourist cannot associate them with anything. Tatarstan elaborated a concept at regional level with attraction of participants of the market as well as the majority of the countries of the world. As Ivanov told answering the question of Realnoe Vremya, the concept had being elaborated for a year and cost the budget of the republic about 2,2m rubles. A British INSTID company was chosen as result of the competition for elaboration. By the way, the company was a contractor of Tina Kandelaki's Apostol agency and designed the style of Tatarstan Heritage, which caused quite a stir once in Kazan. However, unlike Tatarstan Heritage, Visit Tatarstan was not designed for domestic market of Tatarstan but especially for tourism. As journalists were explained, the functionaries chose a company beyond the territory of Tatarstan for a reason – a company should have a 'fresh outlook' on the republic.
'Now Tatarstan is objectively not included in the tourist world map. Many people confound us with Kazakhstan. On the one hand, it is a normal situation, but we need to win it. No one knows why one should visit Tatarstan without any sports reasons, so, it is our major problem,' Ivanov says.
The programme called Visit Tatarstan, first of all, is to form a united visual and conceptual style Tatarstan would be associated among tourists with. The main message that it will carry is 'Tatarstan. Land of 1001 delights'. 'As I think, the common property of the people of Tatarstan is seen in two aspects, and you would not argue with it. It is an effort, ability to work hard, reach the best – and relaxation, a skill to create a peace of mind for themselves and other people, a feeling that is in the Tatar language means 'delighted'. A model of the authentic Tatarstan experience is hospitality in traditional Tatar families. It is adopted even in Russian families. Hospitality à la Tatar is a directed and deliberate labour providing a complete pleasure and satiety of the guests, making them feel good and pleasant. Tatarstan should host its guests and tourists this way. The formula 'Tatarstan. Land of 1001 delights' expresses it,' the director general of Tourism Development Centre of Tatarstan Autonomous Non-governmental Organization Oksana Sargina.
By the way, this centre will become an operator of the implementation of the programme. A delight is in acquaintance with Tatarstan way of life, culture, points of interests, food, entertainments, etc. 'We don't give a pleasure for someone, we do it for ourselves because we can do many things and did too much,' the head of the centre tells. 'Calmness, safety, Tatarstan is careful as a mother, there is everyhting, whatever your soul likes,' she continues.
'Not to put kokoshnik on'
There will be an exterior promotion of Tatarstan on the world tourist markets and implementation of a single style inside the republic in the work of tourist sector within the scope of Visit Tatarstan. 'I would like to note that this concept does not reflect the current state of affairs in Tatarstan but an outlook on the development of the sector, a sort of idea 'to grow into', which might be used as a basis for the development then,' Sargina admitted.
As Sargina explained, the programme presupposes a development of the 'authentic way of life and producing'. It means that Visit Tatarstan will support projects reproducing this authenticity in different forms: development of the Tatar cuisine, creation of clothes and accessories based on 'traditional proportions, forms and ornaments', jewellery project, literature and media conventions. 'An authentic way of life is a honed for centuries and the most optimal way of life on one's own land. It is important that make the local people perform this model naturally and sincerely and let them live and do what they can do best and what gives them pleasure, not putting kokoshnik or other ethnical elements on, when they intentionally attract tourists,' the head of the centre tells. In her opinion, a tourist should 'join a special Tatarstan way of life'. It is not difficult to guess that the Tatar lifestyle and Tatar culture is the foundation.
Bikini and men's socks à la Tatarstan
The second area is connected with the work in tourism. 'The development of tourism is critically important to attract tourists to Tatarstan,' Sargina says. A majority of its representatives were invited to the presentation of the programme. Airlines, tour agents, restorers and hoteliers, producers of souvenirs and others were among them. The authority offers them to unite under a single brand – Visit Tatarstan. Special logos, fonts, key colours, which could be printed anywhere, have been elaborated: clothes, cases for phones, suitcases, tableware and souvenirs. Even men's socks with a stylized Tatar ornament were showed in the presentation.
Stylized in Tatar ornament, T letter is offered as a logo. This letter also reminds gates – a reference to traditions and hospitality of the Tatars. 'The letter is red because Tatarstan is the leader, the head among the regions of Russia. Syuyumbike Tower is also here. The idea is that T letter appears when the gates open. It means that Syuyumbike's soul will come back, and the sense of beauty will return to Tatarstan when the gates of the Tower open. It will happen when Tatarstan opens to the world', Natasha Grand, the director of INSTID and the author of the style, ornately explained. Moreover, the logo has several layers that the companies-users might combine depending on the situation. These layers are Volga Bolgaria, Golden Horde, Slavyansky, several Tatar and the layers of the 20th and 19th centuries.
Grand admitted that she was asked for where this case, rucksack or stylized bag could be purchased. 'We designed even a bikini in this style,' she smiled. However, nothing of these goods could be purchased in the short run. 'Nowadays the registration process of Visit Tatarstan trademark began, there will be a competition for the franchise and the right of the official operator on sale by 2017,' Sargina told. As Ivanov added later answering a question of Realnoe Vremya, for somebody the use of the style will be free, and sometimes the entrepreneurs will have to pay for it. 'Now the terms are being elaborated. Our task is to make this style be widely used. Now we are working on concrete kinds,' he answered but promised that Tatarstan producers would have maximal opportunities for use.
'Something was not liked from the beginning, something was not from Tatarstan'
Tour operators, airlines, hotels, restaurants, transport and souvenir companies will be offered to get the accreditation of Visit Tatarstan. They should have a 'high quality, service and share the values of the programme'. It will be free for them, but they will need to prove their correspondence and agree the terms of use. 'The main important thing is to not to allow do-it-yourself approach,' Ivanov added. Now the programme has a partner – Tubetey chain of Tatar cuisine. It plans to enter the markets of Russia. In future, Visit Tatarstan is going to cooperate with such Tatarstan companies as Ak Bars Bank, UVT-Aero, KAMAZ, Tatspirtprom, etc. What is more, the head of the centre notes that the ideology of Visit Tatarstan is to be introduced while teaching the specialists of tourism.
The chairman of the Committee of the State Council of Tatarstan on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship Rafis Burganov admitted that he wanted to go and buy something with a symbol of Tatarstan after the presentation. 'I liked very much what we were shown today. Something was not liked from the beginning, something was not from Tatarstan,' he said but expressed his confidence in the professionalism of the designers.
The president of the Association of Tourist Agencies of the Republic of Tatarstan and the director general of Persona Grata Individual Tourism Agency Ramil Miftakhov noted that his colleagues from other regions, who saw the concept, say that 'the Tatars are always ahead'. 'All visualization presented excellently proves that Tatarstan is a land of 1001 delights,' he told. On this occasion, Miftakhov reminded that many hoteliers were not classified according to the star rating though they publicly claim about their presence. 'Actually we should delete these stars on the sites until you obtain this document because our information is public,' he asked.
As for the economic effect of the programme, Ivanov did not forecast anything concrete. He just reminded that now tourism accounts for 1% of GRP of Tatarstan, and the task is to increase it fivefold or, more precisely, to reach 5% by 2030. The concept was designed for this intention, the head of the State Committee notes.
