Tourism business: opportunities of an atypical season

Entrepreneurs, whose activities are somehow connected with tourism, were the hardest hit in the current “anti-season”. In summer and autumn, they can count on a partial revenge, but for this you need to make an effort. What to expect and how to act for the industry, the head of the State Agency for Tourism Development Maryana Oleskiv told us in an interview.

Please tell us how tangible is the tourism industry for the Ukrainian economy?

According to official figures, Ukrainian tourism accounts for 1.4-2% of Ukraine’s GDP. However, most experts say that this proportion reaches almost 9%. As you can see, these figures are significantly different, there is no reliable data. It is also difficult to determine who the Ukrainian tourist is, where exactly he wants to go on vacation, what he lacks; who from abroad comes to us and for what purpose. Therefore, the plans for the coming year are to create a Unified Register of subjects of tourism activities. We will put things in order. When you do not have specific numbers, it is difficult to convince how much the tourism industry really weighs for the Ukrainian economy. We are also working on improving the regulatory framework, in particular, on the adoption of the law “On Tourism” and the development of effective by-laws. Therefore, the industry will develop and stimulate.

What transformation awaits the tourism industry after quarantine?
Entrepreneurs must learn to quickly reorient themselves depending on the circumstances and customer demand. Personal safety will come first. Tourists will pay special attention to this when choosing a vacation spot. But the main thing is that a window of opportunities for domestic tourism in Ukraine is now opening. The closed borders of many countries, the incomprehensible situation with the pandemic, the risk when traveling to other countries turns our citizens to their native places of rest. And here the task of business representatives is to expand the list of proposed locations, go beyond the traditional routes: to the sea to the Black Sea and Azov region and to the mountains to the Carpathians and Transcarpathia. I think that Ukrainians themselves will try to avoid crowded places, choosing little-known recreational areas and interesting locations in various areas. I hope that our tourism business will improve the level of service and services, encouraging vacationers to return to them again. This is a unique chance to show that you can also have a good rest in Ukraine.

Can you predict the demand? In which segments will it be more tangible?
I think that this year long weekends will prevail - trips for 3-5 days near the place of residence. Not all company employees will have full holidays this year. A study by the Rating group showed that only 30% of Ukrainians plan to relax this summer season. But after sitting at home during quarantine, people will travel whenever possible. Beach holidays will traditionally be chosen by a significant number of people. In this segment, growth is expected due to those who previously rested in foreign resorts. A spa holiday will also be popular, there will not be any special changes. Eco-tourism will be of great interest, the popularity of active types of recreation in recreational areas will grow, and industrial tourism will be of interest to customers. But as for children's camps, sanatoriums and other facilities that traditionally specialize in younger audiences, the Ministry of Health now does not see the possibility of opening these facilities due to a security issue.

Should representatives of the tourism business raise prices to “discourage” the failure of the start of the season?
You can’t raise prices just because there was quarantine in the spring and there will be increased demand in the summer. Otherwise, people will not go to these locations next year. Again, at the first opportunity, they will choose a vacation abroad. The tourism business must learn to fight for its client and finally balance the quality and cost of services, make them relevant. Relatively popular, prestigious objects with a high level of services, cost is a matter of demand, in particular this season.

What is lacking in Ukraine in terms of types, directions, formats of tourism?
Industrial tourism has great potential. Weekend trips to big top cities are interesting here. An attractive destination is eco-tourism. We do not use enough national parks and recreation areas, these are promising areas for business. We have not yet fully disclosed Ukraine, either for foreigners or for our citizens. For Ukrainians, trips to the sea in summer and to the mountains in winter are still traditional. At the same time, many of our citizens spend their ski holidays in Ukraine, and not just abroad. But during the summer holidays, mainly choose all inclusive resorts in Turkey and Egypt. If we talk about a tourist product for a foreign tourist, we lack a deep-cultural tourist product. Festivals are held in Ukraine at a good level, but not enough attention is paid to such event tourism. I am convinced that such events can attract a lot of tourists to us.

Are there any projects aimed at popularizing domestic tourism?
It is necessary to quickly restart domestic tourism and promptly look for very effective solutions that would allow starting such a promotional campaign in a short time. We turned to Andrei Fedoriv and the Fedoriv Marketing Agency for help. There are some good ideas, so we plan to launch a project soon that will allow us to popularize tourism in Ukraine. In addition, we cooperate with Bogdan Logvinenko, his Ukrainer is a special resource that has a large and understandable audience. Also an interesting Discover project, funded by Google. Now, together with Visit Ukraine and its leader Anton Taranenko, we are developing a project where, within the framework of general communication, there will also be offers with discounts from various market participants. But in fact, specific representatives of the tourist industry who work in a particular territory can also engage in the popularization of local objects.

Should I start marketing campaigns aimed at foreign tourists this year?
Foreign tourists will first of all pay attention to sanitary safety, and clear protocols should be in place on this issue in our territory. As for the marketing campaigns for the next year - yes, they need to start cooking. The state will also assist in this process. Now we are actively working on the concept of a new portal about Ukraine, where a foreign tourist or businessman can get acquainted with the country, its features and advantages. It will be duplicated by many foreign languages, in particular Chinese and Arabic. Now there is no such resource. This will be one of the tools aimed at promoting the country.