Several glamping sites in Tatarstan have recently been listed for sale on classified advertisement platforms, raising questions about the health of the region’s rural tourism sector.
As of April 2025, at least seven properties are being marketed as “turnkey” and “profitable businesses,” with asking prices ranging from 10 to 150 million rubles.
The listings typically include both land and built infrastructure, though the reasons for sale are generally not disclosed, according to Realnoe Vremya.
Despite speculation that the listings may indicate waning interest in glamping, experts interviewed by Realnoe Vremya disagree with the notion that the sector is in decline.
According to Irlan Tagabergenov, co-owner of Volga Resort glamping, booking trends in April do not point to a crisis.
“Naturally, there’s a shakeout happening in the market — players without a unique offering or competent management are exiting. These are the so-called ‘one-time glampings’: you come, snag a customer, but the experience is poor.
The customer leaves disappointed and never returns,” Tagabergenov said. He added, “There’s been no decline in glamping visits. In fact, we’re entering summer — the peak season. Occupancy is high, and so is demand.”
Industry observers note that many of the properties listed as glamping sites may not qualify as such under legal and regulatory standards.
The Tatarstan Institute for Urban Development’s Directorate for Natural Territories emphasized that most of the advertised sites are small plots intended for personal subsidiary farming.
These properties often lack the infrastructure, land use designation, and licensing needed to qualify as legitimate rural tourism or glamping operations.
“We would like to point out that the properties listed in these advertisements and labelled as ‘glampings’ are, in reality, not glamping sites at all,” the Directorate stated.
“Sellers are offering what they describe as a ‘working, profitable business’ — yet it was built on land where such activity is not legally permitted.”
Of the six listings reviewed by the Directorate, only two were found to meet the criteria for authentic glamping operations.
These sites, priced at 21 and 150 million rubles respectively, are registered with the Institute and legally recognized as accommodation facilities. The motivations behind their sale remain unspecified.
According to Ilnar Khamidullin, several factors may be contributing to the trend. Many of the sellers are self-employed individuals whose businesses are not formally registered and lack the resources to scale.
Some properties may also be non-compliant with new accommodation classification standards introduced earlier in 2025.
“They may also lack room for expansion — the plots are simply too small,” Khamidullin said. “They can’t build a proper facility with a reception area, staff housing, and so on. All they really have is a rental cabin with no infrastructure.”
Tagabergenov noted that while some listings appear to be distressed sales, others may be driven by investor strategy.
“There are also larger glamping sites up for sale, which I’ve seen in listings. In those cases, it’s likely an investor strategy. They want to lock in profits from earlier investments before the high season begins.”
The Directorate added that although most listings fail to specify the land’s legal category, buyers are advised to verify this information before making a purchase. “It is entirely possible that the land category will be suitable,” they said.
“When signing a purchase agreement for land, it is legally impossible to conceal the land’s category or designated use, so deception is ruled out. That said, it is up to the buyer to assess the risks and pay close attention to the land’s official classification.”
For professionals in the outdoor hospitality industry, this development highlights the importance of due diligence when considering investment or expansion in emerging markets.
Understanding legal land classifications, infrastructure requirements, and the regulatory environment is crucial for building a sustainable operation that can weather market fluctuations and regulatory shifts.