"Million was": the Tourism Center explained why Kirovstat underestimated the number of tourists

      As explained by the agency, the official statistics, which recorded 437.4 thousand tourists, only reflect those who stayed overnight in classified accommodation. "The official statistics do not take into account a huge category of travelers – those who come for a day and do not stay in hotels. Their flow is counted in the tens of thousands," the Center explained. To prove their point, the Center provides additional figures. The Unified Interagency Information and Statistical System (EMISS), coordinated by Rosstat, counted 796,711 tourists by the end of 2025. Sber's statistics, which analyze the use of bank cards by guests from other regions, also provide a similar figure – over 700 thousand people (not including children and other companions). However, the Center for Tourism Development is convinced that even these figures do not reflect the full picture. According to their calculations, the EMISS statistics do not account for participants in last year's major events: Sabantuy (56 thousand people), the Velikoretsky Cross Procession (17 thousand), passengers of tourist trains (1,356), as well as about 197 thousand visitors who stayed in private accommodation. Taking all these categories into account, the agency claims that the total number of guests in the region indeed exceeds 1,068,000 people. The main reason for the discrepancy, as stated by the Center for Tourism Development, lies in the counting methodology. Kirovstat adheres to a classical approach: a tourist is considered someone who arrived in the region, checked into a hotel or hostel, and stayed overnight at least once. All those who did not reach the registration desk apparently do not make it into their reports.