Ukraine needs to pitch itself abroad
Back to Articles
Eurovision 2005 has provided some impetus for change. And during his resent trip to Germany, President Viktor Yushenko emphasized the need to ease visa requirements for EU countries indefinitely. Prykhodko believes that changes will prove effective. ?This year the presidential order to lift visa restriction for EU countries during [Eurovision] and the initiative to simplify the current process - like being able to purchase visas at the border - may increase the number of foreign tourists by 20 percent here,? Prykhodko said.
Rest for the weary
The capital, which the majority of foreign tourists visit, still has an underdeveloped tourism market. Hotels in the city cater largely to business people, Prykhodko says. Alexander Faynin, president of Youth Tourism & Hostels of Ukraine, could not agree more. He says there?s critical need to bring housing facilities to an acceptable standard for yang tourists. According to him, the few hotels that do exist are prohibitively expensive.
The state is stepping up its efforts to address these problems. Yevhen Samartsev, the deputy head of the State Tourism Administration, said that the development of youth hostels is a priority for the tourism industry, adding that investors for such projects will get preferential treatment from the government.
Last September, the parliament passed a bill that designated inexpensive loans for hotel construction. Analyst say the new legislation will have a positive effect on the nation?s tourism development. But Faynin is skeptical of government plans.?We?ve heard lots [about] the Kyiv City Administration?s plans to open a chain of budget hotels. But I haven?t seen any being built yet,? he said. Faynin noted that the capital?s first two youth hostels are scheduled to open by May. One of them, called Paris, is located on Artema Street and has 68 rooms. Another, the 200-room hostel Berezka, is located on Vyshgorodska.
At 12 euros per night, the prices are similar to those charged by many hostels around the world. Faynin said that his organization is in talks with regional administrations and hoteliers in the most attractive tourist centers of Ukraine to open up to 18 franchise hostels by 2008. Faynin said it could only be a matter of two or three years before a chain of youth hostels appears, although he warns that it might not be too big initially.
Like every other businessmen in the city, Faynin also hopes to cash in on Eurovision. His company has started selling a 229-euro four-day Eurovision tour (www.hostels.org.ua), which will include accommodation in a budget hostel, meals, two tours of Kyiv sites with an English, German, Polish or Hebrew-speaking guide and one entry ticket to the final of Eurovision 2005.
Defining Ukraine abroad
Bizpo?s Zinchenko says that Ukraine must embark on a global advertising blitz to encourage tourists - and their fat wallets - to come to Ukraine. ?For many foreigners, Ukraine is associated with the Chornobyl disaster or, of late, with the Orange Revolution,? says Elena Sas, a communication specialist at Bizpro. ?What we are trying to do is create a new brand to deliver truthful information about the level of life and culture that exists here,? Sas explained.
Currently, Bizpo is holding negotiations with the Association of British Travel Agencies (ABTA), the UK?s leading travel association, to include information about Ukraine in the association?s handbook. She noted that ABT?s handbook is a popular resource for European companies associated with travel and tourism. Zinchenko adds that thought Ukranian travel agencies are increasingly talking part in prestigious international exhibitions and fairs, they only promote Ukranian resorts and regions where they work. Before offering special products, ?they have to consolidate their efforts and say what Ukraine is,? she says.
Zinchenko also points to the importance of online booking systems to foreign tourists. Few in Ukraine, though, she says, seemed to have realized their benefits. In Crimea, a tourist can find a room to rent by talking to people offering their apartments on the streets of coastal towns. ?Our people know that they can go to the train station and find accommodation. Western tourists will be surprised to discover that they can find a room at the train station. They want to make bookings in advance,? Zinchenko said.
Kiev Post, Business, March 17th, 2005
|
