I.Metshin: "Signature events played a huge role in promoting Kazan"

(Kazan, KZN.RU, December 8, by Zilya Gayfi). Kazan won third place in Europe and eighth in the world in developing tourist destinations, according to authoritative travel site «TripAdvisor», becoming the third most popular city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. Evgenia Lodvigova, chairperson of the Committee for the Promotion of Tourism of the Executive Committee spoke about the «Travelers'Choice ™» award at today's Business Monday meeting.

The list of  «Travelers'Choice ™» contestants includes 52 destinations around the world, scoring highest in growing interest among travelers and increase in the number of positive reviews. "To determine the winners, an algorithm was used to assess annual change in positive TripAdvisor user reviews of hotels, restaurants and attractions around the world. Kazan was honored with high rankings more than once during the year. For example, previously the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan was named the third most popular city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Kazan Kremlin became the seventh in the top 10 cultural sites in Russia. Thus, our efforts to promote Kazan in Russia and abroad have not gone unheeded, and will contribute to new victories," reminded Evgenia Lodvigova.

Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin called the first-ever inclusion of Kazan in the «TripAdvisor» rating an outstanding result. "New victories will be measured by the number of tourists. In the year of the Universiade, we hosted 1.5 million visitors; this year – 1.8 million, and next year it would be good to achieve the 2.5 million mark. To do this, we have everything and are working in this direction systemically. We definitely have room for growth,  and the ratings indicate that we're moving in the right direction. Of course, we are still far from the number of tourists visiting Barcelona, Istanbul and some other cities. We should reach after the strongest and most successful, and then we'll achieve the desired result," said the mayor.

According to the head of the city, signature events played a huge role in promoting Kazan. "Think of the Universiade, which made our city widely known on five continents. Adding Bolgar to the UNESCO World Heritage list, thanks to the support of the first President Shaimiev and acting President Rustam Minnikhanov, also enhances the image and tourist appeal of Kazan and Tatarstan. This proves that we don't need to reinvent the wheel, rather, we should address experts with experience in promoting such products on the world market," said the mayor.