Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus to develop joint tourist routes to attract guests from far abroad - Canada, USA, Japan, China, etc.
This prospect was discussed at the online forum "Anti-crisis measures and tourism development in a pandemic: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus". The event was organized by the Association of the Hospitality Industry of Ukraine in partnership with the Association of Domestic and Inbound Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM) with the support of USAID. The speakers at the event were representatives of the tourism industry of three countries: hoteliers, specialized associations in the field of tourism, tour operators, and representatives of government agencies. The forum participants shared their experience of overcoming the crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to the restrictions imposed, spoke about the support measures taken by the authorities and business, got acquainted with the trends in crisis management, discussed the possibilities and prospects for cooperation. According to the World Tourism Organization, the losses of world tourism in 2020 became the most tangible in the entire history of observations: the industry's revenues decreased by $1.3 trillion, which is 11 times higher than the losses from the 2009 crisis. At the same time, uncertainty remains, since, due to mutations of the coronavirus, many countries are reintroducing stricter travel restrictions (mandatory testing, quarantine, complete closure of borders), which affects the activities of the tourism industry. Speaking at the forum, USAID Moldova representative Michael Jones noted that in order to resume growth, tourism will have to change market strategies and adopt global trends focused on digitalization, sustainability and development of regional tourism. “In Moldova, USAID is supporting this innovation and market transformation in partnership with the government and the private sector by expanding their online presence, updating websites, and implementing online booking and payment systems,” said Michael Jones. At the same time, he noted that regional cooperation is a powerful engine for sustainable and inclusive restoration of the tourism industry. “Despite the pandemic, last year Ukraine received about 3.4 million foreign guests, while 933 thousand tourists arrived from Moldova, and 463 thousand - from Belarus, and Ukrainian tourists are frequent guests in Moldova. The regional flow of tourists should be developed in order to contribute to economic recovery,” the USAID representative said. The head of the Association of the Hospitality Industry of Ukraine, Aleksandr Liyev, noted that important lessons were learned from the crisis, and in the new conditions, companies and authorities should explore the potential of regional cooperation in order to stimulate the mutual attraction of tourists in the three countries, as well as promote joint routes. “With the support of USAID, this April we will conduct training in Chisinau on the creation of tourism products for Ukraine, after which we will present them in Kiev. Then we will hold a similar event in Ukraine - on tourism products for Moldova. We hope that the political upheavals will come to naught, and we will establish similar cooperation with Belarusian companies. In addition, we propose to develop combined tours on the Moldova-Ukraine-Belarus route in order to attract solvent tourists from non-CIS countries - Canada, USA, Japan, China and other countries,” said Aleksandr Liyev. // 26.02.2021 - InfoMarket.
