Ukraine
$1.5 million to promote Ukraine’s winter tourism
The Culture and Tourism Ministry has embarked on an ambitious international advertising campaign to promote winter tourism in the country.
The campaign, called “Ukraine invites,” features ads on popular European television channels such as Euronews and National Geographic. Advertising on billboards in major European cities will be part of the effort intended to beef up tourism.
Tourism experts say the campaign will be the first of its kind by Ukraine, which trails far behind other countries in promoting tourism and cashing in on vacationers.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Mykhailo Kulynyak said the campaign includes 15 and 30 second advertisement videos called, “Ukraine: For those in love with the snow.”
The cities covered by the outdoor billboards include Prague, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Budapest, Warsaw and others. Ads will also be placed in the German, French and Italian versions of Reader’s Digest magazine. Advertising videos will also run on television monitors at Kyiv’s airport, central railway station and metro transportation system. The campaign is expected to last through the winter season.
One of the key attractions advertised will be skiing in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains, which are located at the border with the European Union.
“With perfect geographical, climate and cultural conditions for tourism, Ukraine’s tourist sector has the potential to be one of the most profitable segments of the domestic economy,” Kulynak said.
“But more attention and financing is needed for promotion. This is precisely what we are trying to do,” he said, adding that some $1.5 million will come from state coffers.
The campaign is expected to boost the annual inflow of tourists by 20-30 percent in 2008, Kulynyak said.
In the first nine months of 2007, nearly 18 million foreign tourists visited Ukraine, according to a State Border Service report. That represents a 24 percent increase compared to the same period in 2006. Some 30 per cent of foreign tourists came from EU countries.
kyivpost.com
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