Pestrikov: "The Kirov region can satisfy the most discerning tourist."

      At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Pestrikov delivered an exaggeratedly cheerful speech about tourism in the Kirov region. According to him, everything is fine with tourism here — we ranked 15th in the country, increased tourist flow fivefold (though over a span of five years, one of which was a quarantine year due to the coronavirus), and people started booking hotels 1.5 times more often. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, the region has welcomed a million tourists.

      At the end of his speech, Pestrikov made a statement that we couldn't help but highlight: "Today, the Kirov region is capable of satisfying the most discerning tourist, including the availability of convenient logistics and quality infrastructure."

      One might think that the official simply misspoke, as the word "discerning" is more about manners and taste than about requirements, and the word "demanding" would be more appropriate here. However, during the broadcast, it was clear that Pestrikov was reading from a paper, meaning he had prepared this remark in advance. It remains a mystery what kind of "discerning" tourists and from where exactly the deputy meant.

      However, whoever these people might be, it seems that the Kirov region is unable to meet even the simplest "wants" of ordinary tourists. The roads to many settlements or attractions are broken, and some are completely absent. There is not much to show in certain places. Recently, the authorities tried to attract tourists to Demyanovo with... a pine tree. The tourist routes are inconvenient and poorly thought out (we have written about this in detail here and here). Major regional celebrations turn into a nationwide disgrace. Gastronomic tourism is just a name.

      Even if we consider only Kirov and do not venture beyond its borders, the picture is not very encouraging. The scandalous "Gates of the Russian North" began to fall apart almost immediately after their installation. The embankment has long been neglected, except for the rotundas, which, after "renovation," appeared to look worse, in our opinion, than before. The park near the circus has been quite unappealing for a very long time. And on pedestrian Spasskaya, tourists can see at most an equivalent of a rural fair. So, likely, "discerning" guests, if any actually arrive in the region, will ultimately be pleased with just one thing — the opportunity to leave back.