Tourist flow to Ukraine to grow 30-40% after Euro-2012
The chairman of the UA State Agency for Tourism and Resorts Elena Shapovalova declared in her interview to the Ukraine-2012 magazine that in 2012 the tourist flow to Ukraine is expected to increase by 30–40% compared to 2011.
According to the preliminary calculations, one million fans, both tourists and sightseers, are to visit Ukraine during UEFA EURO 2012. For comparison, 1.3 million tourists visited Ukraine in 2011 according to State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
In the current year, the tourist flow to Ukraine is to reach two million people. According to Mrs. Shapovalova, European football championship will exert positive influence on re-division of overseas flow in favor of Ukraine. For example, Portugal showed 50% tourist flow increase after UEFA EURO 2004, and Austria and Switzerland came up with a 30% growth after UEFA EURO 2008. Inbound tourist flow to Ukraine after UEFA EURO 2012 can increase by 30–40%. Elena Shpovalova stated: «Tourist flow increase, especially from overseas, will lead to economic efficiency growth in the domestic travel sector and will produce revenue for all level budgets».
