Eurovision might light up Ukraine for tourists

UKRAINE - In Brief 14 May 2017 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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Over the last week Ukraine hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. It was already for the second time in our history that Eurovision took place in Kyiv. But it was never before that visitors were so positive about friendly Ukrainians, well-organized event and high level of services provided for ridiculous prices. I saw at least three articles like this advising readers to visit Ukraine. In social media I also saw dozens of positive feedbacks of foreigners about their travel experience in Kyiv. Despite widespread skepticism Eurovision appeared to be a real success for us. Definitely this time Ukrainian authorities were much better prepared for inflow of foreigners. But also, in my opinion, it was the matter of expectations. In western media Ukraine is described as ‘a war-torn country’ but military actions have been localized long time ago while major part of Ukraine lives normal life. Probably, many visitors imagined multiple devastations and were surprised to see well-groomed city. Whatever was the reason for positive impression, successful Eurovision promises better exports proceeds. We've already observed pick up in exports of services at the start of the year. Also restaurateurs reported substantial inflow of clienteles from abroad. And that was happening even before Eurovision. Now we can anticipate the inflow of tourists what inevitable will reflect on trade balance and FX market. If positive expectations about tourists indeed come true, potential rollback in resource prices will be less painful for national currency.