Page 75 - UKRRptSept21

“Saudi tourists help revive Ukraine’s Covid-hit travel industry,” reads an article from Lviv by Spain’s Efe news agency. Spending in Ukraine by tourists from Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf countries his $25mn in June and probably $50mn in July, says Anton Taranenko, executive director of Visit Ukraine. In the first month after Saudi airline Flynas launched directs to Kyiv and Lviv, 14,000 Saudis visited Ukraine.
After a 75% plunge in foreign visitors to Ukraine last year, tourism is starting to recover, registering a 9% increase in visitors during the first half of this year, compared to the second half of last year. From January to June, 1.4 million foreigners visited Ukraine, sharply down from nearly 6 million in the first half of 2019.
Covid controls and new flights are changing the arrivals with more Arab visitors. Over the last three months, 35,193 tourists visited from Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia – a 40-fold increase compared to last year. Of the Gulf tourists, 85% came from Saudi Arabia, with most flying on new flights by low cost airlines – Saudi’s Flynas and Ukraine’s SkyUp.
The number of Americans visiting is up 70% yoy, to 34,000, the State Agency for the Development of Tourism writes on Facebook. The number of Israelis increased by 26%, to 26,600. As per tradition, the top five sources of visitors were: Moldova – 368,000; Russia – 198,000; Romania – 109,000; Belarus – 96,000; and Turkey -- 93,000.
Outbound tourism was up 15% for the first half, compared to January-June of last year. Despite Covid travel barriers, 5.7 million Ukrainians traveled abroad – four times the number of foreigners who visited Ukraine. The top two destinations were nearly even: Turkey – 774,000 and Egypt 705,000. More Ukrainians flew to the Dominican Republic – 35,000 – than to Bulgaria. The same number of Ukrainians flew to the Maldives – 10,000 – as to France, reports the State Tourism Development Agency.
9.1.9 Utilities sector news
Cabinet plans to lower electricity price for households. Ukraine’s PM Denys Shmyhal announced on August 11 that the Cabinet would initiate a decrease of electricity prices for households consuming less than 250 kWh per month by 14% since October.
Currently, the rate for all households is UAH1.68/kWh, while from October, those consuming less than 250 kWh will pay UAH1.44/kWh.
According to Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko, about 80% of households will see an electricity price decrease following this initiative. He stated that this will become possible after the introduction of a new system of Public Service Obligation on the electricity market, in which state companies generating electricity from nuclear fuel and water (Energoatom and Ukrhydroenergo) will participate.
75 UKRAINE Country Report September 2021 www.intellinews.com