UAE-based TIME Hotels’ CEO meets with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan and the republic’s Mufti to discuss promotion of halal tourism and potential investments in the region’s capital city of Kazan
TIME Hotels, the UAE-headquartered hospitality company and hotel operator, is targeting investment opportunities in the Republic of Tatarstan as it continues its international expansion of the TIME Hotels’ brand.
Mohamed Awadalla, CEO of TIME Hotels, was invited by the State Committee on Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan to meet and discuss potential hospitality investments in the region’s capital city of Kazan.
Awadalla met with Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan; Sergey Ivanov, Chairman, State Committee on Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan; Insaf Galiev, First Deputy Chief Executive, Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and Tatartstan Investment Development Agency; and Taliya Minulina, Member of Tatarstan Government, Russian Federation and Chief Executive Officer for Tatarstan Investment Development Agency.
After meeting the President, Awadalla then met with Kamil Hazrat Samigullin, Mufti of Tatarstan to discuss the promotion of halal tourism as well as potential hospitality investments in the Republic of Tatarstan.
With a focus on further developing their halal tourism industry, the Mufti of Tatarstan highlighted TIME Hotels as the ideal hospitality brand to help with this mission, with over eight years of managing and operating halal friendly hotels in the UAE and across the Middle East.
“With more than one million visitors per year and rising, the Republic of Tatarstan is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Russia and is an ideal location to continue our international expansion of the TIME Hotels brand,” said Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels.
Situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kama Rivers, the Republic of Tatarstan is located approximately 800km east of Moscow, with its capital city, Kazan, often referred to as the ‘third capital of Russia’.
Renowned for its sports infrastructure and its stunning architecture including the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO world heritage site, Tatarstan has become an increasingly popular summer destination due to its packed calendar of summer festivals including the annual opera spectacular which attracts an array of world-class performers.
“Rich with culture, fine arts and over 1,000 years of history as well as boasting a cutting-edge culinary scene plentiful with halal-friendly options, Tatarstan not only caters to the needs of GCC travellers but is also within very easy reach with two direct flydubai flights per week from the UAE,” Awadalla said.
Over the coming 12 months, TIME Hotels will be focusing on expanding its current portfolio, with several openings scheduled across Dubai and the wider UAE as well as other properties across the MENA region including Egypt.
Awadalla added: “As always we have been very strategic with our upcoming openings, identifying and assessing demand within the market and working to implement the most suitable brand from the TIME portfolio that best matches that demand.”