Today, the
president of the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers (FIJET)
Tijani Haddad presented the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin with the prestigious
international award in the field of tourism "Golden Apple" and
thanked him for the work that had made the city a pearl of the global tourism.
The award ceremony was held at the Family Center "Kazan".
FIJET
President Tijani Haddad noted that his last year's visit to Tatarstan, when he
had managed to see many sights of the Republic, produced an indelible
impression on him. "We were surprised by the richness of the Republic’s
cultural heritage, the peaceful coexistence of representatives of different
religions and nationalities, the good nature and hospitality of Kazan citizens,
" said the president of FIJET. "And, of course, by the nature, which
is important for attracting tourists. In addition, I attach great importance to
the work of the dynamic and professional team that does everything to make the
city a center of tourist attraction."
Tijani Haddad
said that the Federation was established 62 years ago by journalists from three
countries: France, Belgium and Italy. Now this is one of the largest
organizations that unites travel writers and journalists from around the world.
"One of our goals is the promotion of international tourism, tourism which
respects local culture, local people, contributes to the preservation of
cultural and historical heritage," emphasized FIJET president. He noted
that now tourism faces many challenges: environmental problems, cultural
degradation, but one of the main issues is terrorism. "It is necessary to
cope with all these challenges," said Tidjani Haddad. "We are aimed
at helping young journalists with carrying the value and importance of tourism
to their countries."
"By
presenting Kazan with this award, we want to say thank you for the advancement
of tourism not only in the Republic, but throughout the country and all over
the world. Thank you for the fact that Kazan has become a leading touristic
center. Thank you for promoting the tolerance principles and creating the
harmonious coexistence of ethnic groups and nationalities," said FIJET
president. Tijani Haddad thanked the Mayor of Kazan for the work that had made
the city a pearl of world tourism.
The oldest
FIJET member Vladimir Novikov said that the next year will mark the 50th
anniversary of the moment when representatives of our country began to
participate in the work of this international organization. V.Novikov noted
that in 1983 the "Golden Apple" was awarded to Suzdal. Then, in 2015,
it was given to Moscow. Thus, Kazan is the third city of our country which
became a laureate of the prestigious international award.
V.Novikov
also noted that last year Moscow held the FIJET congress, after which a tour to
Tatarstan was organized, when a large group of journalists visited the
Republic. After that, it was suggested to consider presenting Kazan with the
award of the international federation.
Last year,
in December, in Tunisia, the members of the association board of directors
unanimously voted for giving Golden Apple to Kazan.
In his
turn, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin thanked the international federation for
presenting the capital of Tatarstan with this prestigious prize, all over the
world called the touristic "Oscar". "This award belongs to all
the citizens, sincerely loving Kazan and working every day to make it even more
beautiful and comfortable," said the Mayor.
He told
that over the past 10 years the touristic flow to the capital of Tatarstan has grown
more than 4 times thanks to the big part played by journalists who see Kazan as
a symbol of tolerant, peaceful and harmonious existence of different religions
and cultures. "As the great Russian traveler Nikolai Przhevalsky said,
travel would lose half of its charm if it was not possible to tell about
it," said Ilsur Meshin.
He also
noted that Kazan loves guests and world-class events. Metshin reminded that in
2013 the capital of Tatarstan hosted the World Summer Universiade, which was
considered the best in the history of the World Students Games by the
organizers and participants. In 2014, Kazan was the first Russian city to
become the capital of the Turkic world. In 2015, it held the World Aquatics
Championship. Now Kazan is preparing for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the
WorldSkills Competition in 2019.
"I am
sure that we live at the time when it is impossible to succeed being in
isolation. Only by being open to others, by sharing best practices and
organizing global events, we are able to develop and be competitive and
attractive for both residents and visitors of the city," said the Mayor in
conclusion.
Answering
journalists' questions, the Mayor noted that Kazan traveled a long way to such
kind a reward as the "Golden Apple". "In 2005, we invited the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and for me it was a
surprise when they said that the future of Kazan is to be an educational and
tourist center of Russia, " said I. Metshin. "Then it was hard for us
to think that we could be among the top three Russian cities leading in the
sphere of inbound tourism, following Moscow and St. Petersburg. The goals and
objectives that we had set 10 years ago were estimated by the most prestigious
international award in the field of tourism. What is more pleasant is that
during the existence of FIJET only three cities received this touristic
"Oscar". Therefore, the Golden Apple is a reward that assesses our
work, led by the first President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and the President
of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov," said I.Metshin.
"This is a reward for the citizens whose hospitality is marked by our
guests."
FIJET
member Vladimir Novikov called the award well-deserved. "Kazan attracts
tourists because there is a mix of history, culture and modernity. Not many
cities can boast of such combination that allows you to enrich yourself
culturally and learn something new," said he.
At the end
of the ceremony, FIJET President Tijani Haddad handed a memorable souvenir for
the active promotion of the cultural and historical heritage to the Deputy
Mayor of Kazan Evgenia Lodvigova and a memorable souvenir for the active
promotion of the Kazan brand to Daria Sannikova, director of the Committee for Tourism Development
of Kazan.
This solemn
event in the capital of Tatarstan was visited by the FIJET delegation. It
included writers and journalists from Belgium, Serbia, France, Croatia, Turkey,
Egypt, Tunisia and Russia.
The Golden
Apple Award was established by the World Federation of Travel Journalists and
Writers (FIJET) in 1970 and is given annually to a country, city, organization,
place of interest or person for outstanding contribution to the promotion and
development of tourism. Now the international federation of FIJET unites 800
people from 30 countries.