Number of tourists in Kazan rises, but hoteliers’ expectations fall short
The capital of Tatarstan welcomed nearly 200,000 visitors during the May holidays
Nearly 200,000 tourists visited Kazan during the May holidays, with hotel occupancy rates reaching 85% from May 1 to 4 and 63% from May 8 to 11. Visitors left behind 1.9 billion rubles in the capital of the republic. These figures exceed last year's, yet, as Inga Gadzhaova, the president of the Kazan and Tatarstan Hotel Association, told Realnoe Vremya, the expectations of the hospitality sector were not met — “the May 9th holidays let us down.” More details in the Realnoe Vremya report.
Number of tourists during the May holidays increased by 7%
Preliminary data shows that nearly 200,000 tourists visited Kazan over the May holidays — 7.7% more than last year, according to Darya Sannikova, the director of the City Tourism Development Committee, speaking at the Business Monday meeting at City Hall.
From May 1 to 4, around 98,000 tourists visited the capital of Tatarstan. Of these, 48% came from other regions of Russia, while 52% were from various districts of the republic. Between May 8 and 11, the tourist flow to Kazan amounted to about 96,000 people — 46% from across the country and the rest from within Tatarstan.
The average hotel occupancy from May 1 to 4 stood at around 85%. It peaked during the Kazan Marathon, with room occupancy reaching 95–100%. The period from May 8 to 11 showed weaker performance, with occupancy at just 63%. The peak booking days were May 8 and 9, reaching 77%. “Data collection is still ongoing, so this figure may change,” noted Sannikova.
Tourist spending via bank cards during the entire May holiday period totalled nearly 1.9 billion rubles — by 10.2% more than the previous year.
Topping the list — Kazan Kremlin and Kamskoye Ustye
As usual, the Kazan Kremlin attracted the highest number of visitors — 103,700 people visited the site, a 0.64% increase compared to last year, Sannikova reported. The Chak-Chak Museum welcomed 810 visitors, up 10.8%. The observation deck at the Kazan Family Centre saw 12,000 guests — twice as many as the previous year. The double-decker City Sightseeing bus was used by 1,070 people, an 18% increase.
“Compared to last year, museums have become more popular among visitors to our city. Thus, from May 1 to 4, the National Museum of Tatarstan was visited by 6,200 people, which is almost 27% more than last year. The City Panorama museum was visited by 1,800 people, which is by 26.5% more than in 2024,” said Darya Sannikova.
As for Tatarstan as a whole, from May 1 to 4, hotel occupancy in the republic reached 85%, and from May 8 to 11 — around 63%. The peak dates were May 2 and 3, when hotel occupancy reached 92–96%, according to data from the Regional State Committee for Tourism.
Popular destinations in the republic included Kamenskoye Ustye, Tetyushi, Great Bolgar, Kukmor district, and Chistopol.
“The recent May holidays showed a high level of interest in Tatarstan as a tourist destination. We welcomed a large number of guests from almost all regions of Russia, and we can see that the tourism industry coped with such a flow. There were almost no complaints from tourists. At the same time, we received a lot of positive feedback,” said Sergey Ivanov, the chairman of the State Committee, to Realnoe Vremya.
“To be honest, we expected higher figures”
The increase in tourists is linked to several factors, expressed her opinion in an interview with the publication Inga Gadzaova, the president of the Association of Hotels of Kazan and Tatarstan. These include: the long four-day weekend, the Kazan Marathon, the effect of BRICS, and “Moreover, we are generally focused on increasing the tourist appeal. This also bears fruit.”
The main flow of tourists came to Tatarstan hotels from other regions of Russia, with almost no foreigners among them, noted Gadzaova.
“The number of guests from Tatarstan was minimal. I think they mostly stay not in hotels but with relatives,” she added.
Gadzaova also pointed out the large number of tourist groups. Despite the predominance of independent travelers, the presence of groups is certainly a positive sign.
“To be honest, we expected a better result. But it should be noted that the May 9th holidays let us down. We expected a larger flow considering the number of days off. We had planned for an occupancy rate of 90-95%,” the association president noted with disappointment.
Residents of Tatarstan travelled to Saint Petersburg and Moscow
As for the Tatarstan residents, 90% of travelling citizens of the republic visited cities in Russia. Traditionally, the most popular destinations were Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Only 10% of tourists from the region preferred international destinations, said Ramil Miftakhov, the head of the Association of Travel Agencies of Tatarstan, to Realnoe Vremya.
Among international destinations, Dubai took first place in popularity, followed by Egypt and Turkey. Also in the top were Hainan, Vietnam, and Thailand.
“In fact, most people traveled to Turkey on specific package deals that include all-inclusive services. These are more expensive than Dubai’s city hotels, which can generally be booked at a very reasonable price. The cost of a room per night starts from 10,000-12,000 rubles for two people. In the UAE, the price difference is more noticeable,” explained Miftakhov.
