Ildar Khalikov: Tatarstan needs to keep attracting tourists as it was during Universiade

On October 17 at the II Kazan international tourism forum “Benchmarks of the future” (October 17-19, Korston) Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov said that Tatarstan needs to keep attracting tourists as it was during Universiade.

Welcoming participants of the forum on behalf of Tatarstan Government and President, Ildar Khalikov noted that currently tourism has different meanings for Tatarstan. First of all, it gives an opportunity to become internationally recognized and develop tourism as an independent business structure.

For the last four years much money has been invested into tourism industry and preservation of historical and cultural monuments due to initiative of the first Tatarstan President and State Counsellor Mintimer Shaimiev.

Ildar Khalikov also noted that the World Summer Universiade 2013 greatly influenced development of tourism in Tatarstan.

Ildar Khalikov continued that business tourism is also developing in Tatarstan. Different forums, conferences, and other business events are held in the republic. Participants of these events go sightseeing, see historical and cultural monuments.

Deputy Head of Federal Tourism Agency Dmitry Amunts informed that work on improving quality of tourism services and staff training is underway. He noted that Federal Tourism Agency and Tatarstan will soon sign an agreement under which Tatarstan will be a pilot region to test new tourism technologies.