Tourists from Muslim countries and China flock to Kazan
“Tatarstan itself is quite popular now, but it has gone more into individual tourism”
At the beginning of the tourist season, Tatarstan residents, sometimes neglecting quality, chose accessibility and cheapness, experts interviewed by Realnoe Vremya, reported. This concerns both domestic and foreign destinations. At the same time, Tatarstan itself is gaining popularity among travellers. Tourists from Muslim countries and even China flocked to its capital, which, however, is also connected with major international events held in Kazan. Read more about the trends in tourism in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
“To my surprise, people continue to go”
The rise in prices is the first thing that experts pay attention to when answering the question about changes in the tourism sector. Because of this, some destinations have lost their relevance, and sometimes travel agencies themselves do not find what to offer customers.
“Everything has gone up in price. Significantly. Especially flights. I can't say that we are now massively selling. I am an ordinary person myself, I know how much money is needed to rest with the family, as before, especially if it is a large family. Sometimes our managers sit in the office and say, “Well, how should I offer this to people? It costs too much, how can it be voiced to people?" I also sometimes look — well, it can't cost that much," Lilia Savelyeva, the head of IntelTur Kazan, admitted to Realnoe Vremya.
According to her, because of such an increase in prices, tourists have to choose an unusual vacation for themselves. For example, they have to reduce the number of days, book less comfortable hotels, or choose other destinations:
“Many used to fly for two weeks, now only for 10 days. People are still used to something else — for a certain amount of a certain quality, now for the same money the quality is lower. But, to my surprise, people continue to go," said Lilia Savelyeva.
Sergey Pasechnik, the owner of Companion SP, agreed that people have to change their habits because of prices:
“The price of flights to, for example, Turkey and to other destinations, such as the Maldives, Seychelles, has significantly increased. Nevertheless, the flights have not stopped, they continue.
“Now people are proceeding more from their financial capabilities”
Domestic tourism is actively developing against the background of rising prices, experts said. At the same time, as stated by Lilia Savelyeva, Russian cities are not different in price availability.
“In domestic directions — Altai, Baikal. I would not say that Russian destinations are affordable. Our prices are also rising. If it is good hotels, they are very expensive," she said.
Baikal as a place of attraction for Tatarstan tourists was also noted by Sergey Pasechnik. According to him, travelling in Russia has become a trend this season.
“The general trend is the search for affordable holidays, affordable travel within Russia. It can be St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Altai and other destinations," the source told the publication. “There is Dagestan and Mineralnye Vody. Now people are proceeding more from their financial capabilities.
Yulia Talanova, the director of Travel&Work PLC, agreed with that Mineralnye Vody have gained attractiveness this year:
“In Russia — mainly to the Caucasus and Mineralnye Vody. They have become in demand only now. The preference is the sea and the sun. It will never change. The only thing that Kaliningrad Oblast can still be considered is some kind of educational trips.”
As for trips abroad, Tatarstan residents still prefer Turkey. All experts interviewed by Realnoe Vremya agreed on this: “Naturally, this is Turkey. We have it stable.”
“As always, first of all, we sell Turkey. Yes, there are last-minute tours, but not everyone can afford it in terms of time. People fly to the Maldives because it's not the season for the cost," Lilia Savelyeva stressed. “In terms of quality-price, there are good offers. Instead of a good hotel in Turkey, you can choose a good hotel in the Maldives. People rarely fly to the Emirates because it's too hot. Egypt — the outflow was due to sharks, but now they began to ask again, to fly.
“Now Tatarstan has a good chance”
Speaking about domestic destinations, experts also shared their opinion on the tourist attractiveness of Tatarstan. According to them, it is difficult to track statistics in numbers, since mostly travellers visit the republic without contacting agencies. However, according to their personal observations, Tatarstan is quite popular.
“Tatarstan itself is quite popular now, but it has gone more into individual tourism. Tourists book hotels themselves, book guides themselves. Now there are a lot of services. It turns out that they do not reach many travel companies. Only guides work with them in full — everyone is busy, there are a lot of tourists. Kazan as a city is quite promoted," Yulia Talanova explained.
She added that this season Kazan has been visited especially by many tourists from Muslim countries and China. This is due to the many business forums that have taken place in recent months.
“Kazan is very attractive for tourists, we have a lot of them. We have something opening all the time. Plus, we have a fairly high standard of living, it is noticeable by roads, by infrastructure. Kazan is popular," Lilia Savelyeva believes.
The owner of the company Companion SP explains such attractiveness of the republic by that much attention is paid to this issue.
“Tatarstan is in the top five-seven destinations in Russia upon arrival of tourists. After the Universiade, we have a clear vector. And the top person, the rais, pays great attention to this. The pandemic, of course, has made its own adjustments everywhere, in everything. Now Tatarstan has a good chance. At least, logistics is a very convenient region for travelling. Well, there is something to see here, there are many points of attraction," he explained.