UKRAINIAN REGIONAL
REPORT
Newsletter-2002
July
15th 2002
Issue #2(12)
The project "Ukrainian Regional Report" was supported by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Democracy Fund of the U.S. Embassy, Kyiv
URR Editor:
Laryssa Mudrak
URR Deputy editor:
Iryna
Solonenko
English
translation:
Natalia
Nemylivska
The bulletin was prepared by:
Viktor Borysov, Ivan Kostiuk, Andriy Khryshtalsky, Vitaliy Zeliuk,
Yevhen Nesterenko, Volodymyr Poshvy
Tthe
UNIAN agency materials were uset too.
Kyiv Centre of
the EastWest
Institute
Khreshchatyk str. 10B
6th floor
Kyiv
01001
Ukraine
tel. (+38 044) 4620053/54
fax. (+38 044)
4620052
kyivcentre@iews.kiev.ua
KyivOblast (Region)The Head of the State Tourism Administration of Ukraine, Valeriy Tsybukh, is convinced that the 2002 tourist season in Ukraine will be a success. “ We are already half-way through the tourist season, and we can say that it has been a success”, Tsybukh stated. He noted that Ukraine is using only 1/3 of its total tourist potential, meaning that the number of tourists (12 million) visiting Ukraine annually can be increased to 36 million. In the last while this number has been increasing because of the influx of tourists from Central Europe, the Baltic States and the CIS, who have turned their attentions to Crimea and the Carpathian region after the events of September 11th, 2002. Tsybukh also noted the problems associated with developing the tourism infrastructure. According to him Ukraine only has 1300 hotels, but 18 000- 20 000 hotels are needed. Tsybukh noted that such a situation has arisen because the hotel business in not a profitable one due to heavy taxation. Of the 3 300 sanatorium-resorts only 700 of them are in operation. All of the others are not working for various reasons, but mostly this is due to the lack of funds, the Head of the State Tourism Administration added.
A tourist who spends three days in Ukraine spends an average of 520 USD. This total includes living expenses, travel and film. Tsybukh stated that the revenue that legal entities received from the 12 million tourists visiting Ukraine is approximately UAH 6. 2 million. Of this total UAH 1.2 million goes to the states budget. Tsybukh emphasized that Ukraine needs to take Turkey, Poland and the Czech republic as examples. These countries “developed their domestic tourism sector to such a degree that they are completely supported by it”.
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
The “Year of Tourism”-this is Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast’s (region) slogan for 2002. To develop the tourism sector and support the initiatives of private and pubic organizations, UAH 350 000 have been allocated from the oblast budget. The oblast is actively using the funds from international donor organizations to support the development of tourism. For example, from 1999-2001, the TACIS project “Supporting Local Development and Tourism in the Carpathian Region” (funding totaled EURO 1.5 million) was running. For 2002-2004, another project in the oblast has been approved. The TACIS Project “Conserving the Environment and Developing Green Tourism and Eco-Tourism” (funding totals EURO 1.4 million). The oblast’s mountainous regions have received a number of small-scale grants to develop “green tourism”. Because of the positive outputs of TACIS projects, an NGO was established in 2002. The Tourism Council for the Carpathian Region was founded by the Transcarpathian, Ivano-Franksivsk, Chernivstsi Oblast Administrations. In a year the Tourism Council of the Carpathian region had participated in approximately 15 local, regional and international exhibitions. As of today, the Tourism Council of the Carpathian Region has received three grants from international organizations in order to market their region as a tourist attraction-by organizing educational seminars, informational tours, advertising, publishing informational materials and representing the region on international tour salons (the grant totals 32 000 USD). Support is also being given to local tour operators to participate in international tour salons. Tourist centers in Transcarpathia are practically self-supporting.
Sumska Oblast
Sumska oblast has rather good tourist possibilities, but only 1/3 of its potential is being used. The Oblast State Administration holds that tourists can be attracted with the oblast’s historical and cultural monuments such as the ancient Rus’ city of Putovl’, the former Hetman capital, Hlukhiv, and the home village of the Zaporizhzhian Koshoviy (a leader of a Cossack regiment), Peter Kalnyskevsky. It is not surprising that the above-mentioned cities, as well as Lebedyn and Romni are on the “Namysto Slavutycha” (The Wealth of Slavutych) tour. The forests that are spread across a major part of the northern part of the oblast and the Mykhailivsk virgin lands with their natural landscapes, promise wonderful recreational opportunities. But transforming these possibilities with their natural landscapes into a functioning sector is not that easy. The main obstacles include: virtually a complete absence of infrastructure (camping grounds, hotels), informational security (films, booklets) and even souvenir production. The Oblast State Administration has begun viewing tourism as a means in filling the budget, and incremental steps have been taken in this direction. In 1997, the “Program for Developing Tourism in the Oblast till 2005” was approved. The most visible event was the re-opening of Hlukhiv historical center and the development of a historical-cultural reserve area. On June 29th 2002, a new program for the period 2002-20010 was approved. It includes 28 events. This will mark the beginning of oblast financing. It also foresees state funding. At the moment, not a single penny is going toward realizing these goals from the oblast or local budget. The 22 tourist agencies, specifically those in the oblast center, advertise travel tours to Crimea and abroad.
Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv is known as “mini-Kyiv” because of the number of historical and cultural monuments it contains. But the tourist service industry in this city is non-existent. Even now the question of accommodations for tourists that have arrived to the city for the weekend to see the churches and historical parts of the city has not been addressed. Although the hotels in Chernihiv are two-star, they have problems with water supply and heating. The resorts and sanatoriums are not being renovated.
Local NGOs have been voicing their proposals about monitoring the tourist possibilities of Chernihiv and the oblast, and then divvying up the responsibilities between local government and NGOs. But, in the mean time the situation remains unchanged. Chernihiv is using Slavutych’s experience, and is hopeful that in the nearest future a “tourist ring” including Kyiv-Slavutyvh-Chernihiv-Kyiv will be established. This will give Chernihiv at least the opportunity to rejuvenate its tourism sector.
Kherson Oblast
Despite the region’s unique natural recreational potential, in particular the shores of the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, tourism in the region can be characterized as sluggish. Visitors mostly come to visit relatives or friends. Nothing has been done so far to resume tourist travel to the unique reserve Askania-Nova, although the reserve is functioning and hosts a scientific-research institute of animal husbandry of steppe territories. Askania-Nova is the only place in Europe with unique vegetation, which remains undeveloped. There is also a zoo with animals and birds from all over the world. There is also a huge park where one can find different climate zones of the Earth. The history of the park goes back to 1874.
Crimean Autonomous Republic
As of mid-July this year approximately 2 million people have vacationed in Crimea. This is 200 thousand more people than during the same period last year. This information was released by Head of the Council of Ministers of the Crimean Autonomous Republic, Serhiy Kunitsyn, at a press-conference on July 11. According to Mr. Kunitsyn 50 per cent of those having vacationed in Crimea come from Russia, 15 per cent come from Belarus and 30 per cent are citizens of Ukraine. Besides, 120-150 thousand tourists come from abroad, especially Germany. Mr. Kunitsyn pointed out there is no system for registering the number of people who come to vacation in Crimea. He said that the Crimean Government has appealed to Kyiv Universities in order “to work out a system of recording tourists”, which would be different from the European system. According to Mr. Kunitsyn there are more than 400 functioning sanatoriums, which can accomodate 156 thousand people. He said that according to data of the Ministry of Recreation and Tourism of Crimean Autonomous Republic, last year’s revenues into the state budget from sanatorium-recreational sector equaled 1 billion 541 million hryvnia.
As of mid-July, functioning Crimean sanatoriums have a 71 per cent occupancy rate,- information from the Ministry of Recreation and Tourism of the Crimean Autonomous Republic. There are 623 sanatoriums in Crimea, 464 out of them are operating. Evpatoria is the leader among resort places in Crimea.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine facilitated the establishment and development of the consular section at the international airport “Simpheropol” in the capital of Crimea.
According to Ministry officials, this will increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Ukraine, in particular Crimea and Odessa during the holiday season. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anatoly Zlenko, entrusted respective departments of the Ministry with the task to develop an informational campaign abroad in order to increase the attractiveness of Ukrainian resort regions.
The material published in the Newsletter may not be reproduced without consent of the publisher. The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily the views of the publisher.
EastWest Institute
New York · Prague · Kyiv · Moscow · Belgrade· Brussels