Evgenia Lodvigova presented Kazan at the VII global UNWTO summit on city tourism

The Vice-Mayor of Kazan met with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization and the Mayor of Seoul.

(KZN.RU, September 18). Evgenia Lodvigova, the vice-mayor of Kazan, took part in the VII global UNWTO summit on city tourism, which is taking place these days in Seoul. Participants discussed the vision of the development of the industry for the period until 2030.

Thus, a group of experts fr om around the world discussed the issues of urban tourism policy at the panel session. In particular, the impact of such major events as the World Championship on the development of the industry. Kazan shared its experience, wh ere the matches of the World Cup were held this summer, and World Aquatics Championship was held in the summer of 2015 the, which was highly appreciated by the organizers of the competition. Evgenia Lodvigova said that such events contribute not only to the development of the city's infrastructure or to the increase of its recognition, but also makes the whole city friendlier to tourists.

Another issue that was discussed was presented by the leading tourist capitals of the world. It was the need to introduce a tourist tax. Such a tax already exists in a number of cities, and the funds are directed to the development of the tourist infrastructure. “Such a tax can significantly help the further development of tourism, it would go for the benefit of the city. Tax is often not so noticeable for a tourist, in most cities it does not exceed one euro per person, but this would be a good help for the development of the industry”, said E. Lodvigova. Representatives of Seoul, Paris, Dubrovnik, Nice, and Athens Panel also spoke at the sessions.

In 2018, the VII global UNWTO summit on city tourism is taking place in Seoul (South Korea) from September 17 to 19. The organizer is the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in conjunction with the Seoul Metropolitan Government with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea and the Seoul Tourism Organization.

The summit provides a unique platform for discussing main issues shaping the future of city tourism in the context of the agenda of urban development until 2030. It brings together representatives of national tourism administrations, city authorities and other concerned sides, acting as a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge and developing a common vision of city tourism embracing innovation, digital transformation and sustainability.

In addition, the meeting of the Vice-Mayor of Kazan with Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary General of the UNWTO World Organization, Pak Von Sunom, the Mayor of Seoul, as well as Jun Beng Yun, the Vice-Mayor of Seoul, took place within the framework of the event.