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”.