12:24 22.06.2016

National tourism organization to be created in Ukraine

2 min read
National tourism organization to be created in Ukraine

A memorandum of understanding between the Ukrainian regions and on the creation of the national tourism organization was signed in Kyiv on Tuesday by 13 regions that have tourism associations.

"We will try to create the national tourism organization in shortest terms. It will be a platform for cooperation between the state, regions and business," Director of the tourism and resorts department at Economic Development and Trade Ministry Ivan Liptuha said during the signing of the memo at the destination branding conference.

He said that Ukraine maybe the last country in the world that does not have the national tourism organization that consolidates the sector.

Liptuha did not specify the concrete terms for the creation of the organization. There is no platform where the project could be launched: the state cannot support the tourism sector and no one can consolidate business.

Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Yulia Klymenko said that the 2016 national budget did not include funds for tourism development: everything was done using donor and partner funds. As for 2017, the ministry intends to allocate around UAH 32 million to implement the tourism development program (the formation of Ukraine's image, participation in exhibitions). The ministry hopes that the Finance Ministry will support the program.

Klymenko said that the number of tourists in Ukraine halved since 2013 – from 25 million to 12 million a year and this is the small figure for the large country. The share of the tourism of Ukraine's GDP does not exceed 1%. Ukraine has a potential and resources required to develop the sector and achieve the indicators of most developed countries with upstanding tourism with 10% of GDP and each 11th job, she added.

"Tourism should become a driver of small and medium businesses for the government and the country, a driver of the economy," Klymenko said.

Liptuha said that visa liberalization (talks to remove visas with some countries (India, Iran) are being held for a year), the launch of the single tourism information portal and promotion of Ukraine across the world helps to do this.

Klymenko said that the Economic Development and Trade Ministry will cooperate in tourism development with the Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian diaspora in the world.

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai who was present at the conference said that Ukraine has a strong team ready to develop tourism. He said that UNWTO would provide support.

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