Methodological aspects of assessing event tourism in regions (based on the case of the Central Federal District)

The paper examines event tourism as a factor in the socio- economic development of regions and substantiates a methodological approach to its quantitative assessment. The study reveals the contemporary understanding of the essence of event tourism, its role in shaping tourist flows, strengthening territorial branding, and stimulating regional infrastructure. Based on an analysis of scientific literature and existing rating systems, the key shortcomings of current assessment methodologies are identified, including indicator fragmentation, data incomparability, and the absence of a unified statistical base. The article proposes an integral index of regional event activity, incorporating blocks related to tourist flows, economic characteristics, event density, infrastructure, and cultural potential. A mathematical framework for calculating the index, including normalization, weighted aggregation, and regional ranking, is presented. Testing the methodology on the regions of the Central Federal District demonstrated significant interregional differentiation and revealed structural gaps in the development of event tourism. Special attention is given to the potential use of the methodology for designing regional event calendars and optimizing resource allocation within the tourism sector. The approach may serve as a basis for further research aimed at clarifying the specific impact of event tourism on regional development. The results confirm the practical value of the integral methodological approach for trend monitoring, strategic planning, and shaping regional tourism policy, while highlighting the need for further refinement of the methodology and indicator system. The published materials were prepared within the framework of the State Assignment No. 075– 00126–25–00 dated 12/25/2024 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the research work «Scientific approaches to the structural assessment of the tourism competitiveness of the subjects of the Russian Federation, including system monitoring and predictive development assessments».