Glamping and camping: what is the demand for countryside holidays in Tatarstan

Development of eco-tourism

The department of the Directorate for the Development of Natural Areas and Ecotourism of RBC Tatarstan stated that, given the current realities, a much smaller number of people this year will be able to plan trips abroad. Therefore, according to them, a high demand for the republican objects of out-of-town recreation is expected.

“In addition, this year the tourist flow is expected to increase to 75,000 people, of which 36,000 are local residents,” they added.

The department reported that on the eve of the May holidays, Tatarstan residents can relax in glampings and country recreation clubs, most of which operate year-round. Some seasonal glampings and campsites will open from 1 May. In addition, 30 new out-of-town recreation facilities are to open in Tatarstan by the end of the year.

“In 2019, about 200 thousand people officially purchased package tours abroad, and this is not counting independent tourists. In 2021, part of this tourist flow chose to rest in the existing out-of-town facilities of Tatarstan - this is about 20 thousand people, among whom 80% are residents of the republic, ”they said, based on statistics from Kazan travel agencies. 

The general manager of Kol Gali Resort & Spa Pavel Kondakov also spoke about the active development of domestic tourism in Tatarstan. According to him, this year the state program of tourist cashback from Rostourism had a great influence on demand, which made it possible to increase the average length of stay for guests, and due to the restriction of air traffic, the demand for bookings doubled.

“At the moment, we can say that foreigners practically do not stay at our hotel. Mostly guests are residents of the Republic of Tatarstan,” said Kondakov, noting that tourists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia, Samara and Ulyanovsk regions also come to the hotel. 

In addition, Lyudmila Zakamskaya, General DIRECTOR of the eco-hotel Kamsky Trofey, announced an increase in the number of bookings due to the tourist cashback program. 

On the night of April 9, sales of tours in RUSSIA with cashback were terminated ahead of schedule. This is due to the increased demand. Rostourism noted that the allocated funds for the spring stage of the program have been almost fully implemented. At the same time, the end of sales was planned for April 30. RBC reported this on April 2. 

Viking Estate project manager Irina Balashova and the founder of Urman Camp glamping Ilnar Khamidullin noted the lack of increased demand on the eve of the May holidays.

“There is a big decline. If earlier they booked much in advance, and everything was booked a few weeks in advance, now they book back to back. That is, on weekends - Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and not as before 3-4 weeks in advance. Mostly residents of Tatarstan and nearby cities stop at us - Samara, Perm, Izhevsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Cheboksary, Naberezhnye Chelny and so on. There are also guests from abroad: Europe, South Africa, America,” Khamidullin explained. 

Subscribe to TELEGRAM RBC Tatarstan