Ukraine’s tourism sector is showing new tendencies. When the economic crisis struck, it seemed that the tourism business was in for losses because it is easiest to save on leisure. However, Anatolii Pakhlia, head of the State Tourism and Resorts Service, says the sector is developing, rather than folding, despite the minor effects of the crisis. That is why Ukraine is expecting a tourist boom this coming season.
Experts have reached this conclusion on the basis of tourist flows into our country in the first quarter of 2009. Tourists went to a variety of places in this time period. The Carpathian region was on top of their list, attracting 16 percent more tourists than last year, despite economic hardship. This area maintains positive dynamics in terms of tourist flows.
At the same time, in the first quarter of 2009 the Crimea has lost nearly 25 percent of its tourists in comparison with the same period last year. However, by now the situation has somewhat improved with the region seeing 19 percent more tourists than last year according to Pakhlia. The State Tourism and Resorts Service hopes that closer to the summertime the number of vacationers in southern Ukraine will go up. Central Ukraine has had a constant number of visitors. For example, in Poltava oblast sanatoriums and health resorts (but not hotels) are filled to capacity.
Why have tourists come to prefer the Carpathian region over southern Ukraine? Experts are split on the causes. Olha Sokolova, deputy head of the State Tourism and Resorts Service, believes that Ukrainians are becoming more interested in domestic tourism. This year the bulk of visitors to the Carpathians were Ukrainians, whereas the proportion of foreigners was not large. According to Sokolova, Ukrainians have become interested in the unique tourist routes and places in our country, which were unknown to them before. The State Tourism and Resorts Service has established the programs “Get to Know Your Country” and “Vacation in Ukraine” to promote our country. However, it is difficult to say anything about efficiency of these programs as they get no financing. Pakhlia says that this year the budget for tourism development has seen a huge cut.
Meanwhile, the main pull factor for an increasing number of tourists is the pricing policy in Ukraine. Experts say that the southern region has lost a sizeable share of tourists after it increased prices by 10 to 15 percent in time of financial crisis. At the same time, central Ukraine has maintained the last year’s prices, while the Transcarpathian region and Lviv oblast have a welcoming gesture to tourists by cutting prices.
“Working with tourist service providers, we try to convince them that there is no point in raising prices today. They need to make profits on the increased number of visitors,” said Pakhlia. Although not every region has accepted this piece of advice, foreign tourists are choosing Ukraine as their holiday destination more often these days. Sokolova says that for them both recreation and medical treatment are important today. That is why sanatoriums and rural green tourism will be most popular this summer with prices in these segments in general lower than abroad.
It looks like the year of 2009 will finally be one of domestic tourism. Experts predict that for the first time in a long while Ukrainians will go on holiday in their own country, rather than abroad, because it is cheaper. The State Tourism and Resorts Service also expects positive tendencies in incoming tourist flows. It is too early to speak about an increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to Ukraine, but the top officials in the sector have high hopes for them.
However, there is a serious question about whether the bright tourism plans will really come true if the level and quality of services in Ukraine remains at its current low level. Pakhlia said that Ukraine is the eighth most visited country in the world but is near the bottom of the top hundred countries in terms of comfort levels. He also said that tourists remain very attracted to places of interest in Ukraine. That is why it is so crucial to maintain the number of tourists coming to our country at least at the past years’ level.
