5 problems tourists face in Tatarstan
Among the problems in 2022, tourists who visited Tatarstan most often noted a decrease in the level of service. This was announced by the chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for Tourism, Sergey Ivanov, at the final board meeting of the department.
“Every year, we conduct a study of feedback from tourists arriving in Tatarstan. One of the most frequently mentioned problems in 2022 is a decrease in the level of service at the facilities of the tourism industry," he said.
As Sergey Ivanov explained, the problem is related to staff turnover, an acute shortage of personnel, and a high load of tourist infrastructure.
Another problem is a small number of fleets for river trips and walks to tourist centres. According to Sergey Ivanov, “today we cannot provide guests with a high-quality service on the river in sufficient volumes, while the number of tourists wishing to take a walk along the Volga River is growing every year.”
The third problem is the lack of tourist buses. Sergey Ivanov said that last year the tourism industry encountered it for the first time — a quarter of buses have been written off over the past two years, and of the remaining 35% have been used for more than 5 years.
During the tourist season, there are not enough up to 50 buses with a capacity of over 50 seats. The problem worsened during the New Year holidays.
The fourth problem is the lack of hotels. According to the forecast of the Tatarstan State Committee for Tourism, with the preservation of the tourist flow, the deficit will be felt even more acutely. Last year, only three new hotels appeared in the republic.
“A large volume of investments, as well as a long payback period, makes the construction of hotels less attractive for new investments compared to other types of business. Here we need to find mechanisms that would encourage investors to invest in the construction of new hotels in order to maintain the growth of tourist flow," said Sergey Ivanov.
The fifth problem is the shortage of personnel during the high tourist season. It is felt most acutely in the summer, when the number of guests doubles.
By the end of 2022, the tourist flow to the Republic of Tatarstan is projected at the level of 3,7 million people. This is by 12% more than in 2021. The leaders in trips to Tatarstan are residents of Bashkiria, Udmurtia and Moscow, who occupy more than 10, 8 and 7 percent of the total tourist flow, respectively.