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E-commerce hit $3bn through November, 17% more than last year,
reports the EVO group of companies, one of Ukraine’s largest internet-based merchandisers. The company said that on average buyers spend $8.50 to $42 a time on EVO marketplaces: Prom.ua, Shafa.ua, Bigl.ua, Crafta.ua, and Izi.ua. This year, the average bill decreased by 7-10%. “At the same time, the cost of delivery has increased: on average buyers pay for the receipt of goods 5-15% of the cost of goods,” EVO reports. “By international standards, it is expensive. So the growth rate of the online trading market has slowed down slightly compared to last year.”
Grammarly was Ukraine’s IT ‘unicorn’ of 2019, attaining a $1bn valuation,
according to a global survey by Crunchbase. Around the world, 142 new unicorns appeared last year. The leaders were: US – 78; China – 22; and Brazil and Germany - five apiece. Founded in Kyiv a decade ago, Grammarly uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to offer spell checking, grammar checking, and plagiarism detection services.
To draw foreign film production to Ukraine, filmmakers now can get rebates of up to 30% of qualified costs for making a film in Ukraine. With this new law on rebates, Ukraine catches up with Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, where rebates have been in effect for several years, reports FilmNewEurope.com. One beneficiary could be Zelenskiy aide Andriy Yermak, owner of European Partnership Media Group. This company recently did a Slovak/Ukrainian historical TV series, Slavs / Slovenia.
9.1.8 Tourism sector news
During the first half of 2019, 900,000 foreign tourists visited Kyiv. In the summer and fall, this figure was boosted by an advertising campaign with Ryanair that targeted Germany, Ireland and the UK.
Kyiv doubled income from its tourist tax in 2019, to $2.6mn. Foreign visitors pay $1.75 per night in tax. It is unclear how much is levied from the estimated 10,000 Airbnb beds in the centre of Kyiv. Marina Honda, deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, said of the tax revenue surge: “This indicates that Kyiv is becoming more and more interesting for tourists both from Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s government has budgeted $10mn for tourism promotion in 2020. By the fall, a single tourism portal – online and by telephone – will open to help foreign visitors with their trips to Ukraine, says Prime Minister Honcharuk. He says: “It is necessary to create all conditions for increasing the flow of tourists coming to Ukraine.” The Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry is setting up a national agency and local tourist information centres in the regions.
9.1.10 Renewables sector news
Through November, the renewable share of Ukraine’s electricity production has more than doubled, growing from 1.7% to 4.1%. Over the same period, the share of electricity produced by thermal power plants decreased from 38% in November 2018, to 32.0% in November 2019, reports the Energy and Environment Ministry. Last year, €3.7bn was invested in solar,
59 UKRAINE Country Report February 2020 www.intellinews.com
