Business travel trade show introduces Ukraine
Ukraine has begun to break out of its stereotype as an unknown country and to build a reputation as a potential business travel destination, thanks in part to the country’s high-profile presence at the European Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition held May 20-22 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Iryna Gagarina, executive director of Mission Ukraine Cognita, which along with the State Tourist Administration organized Ukraine’s participation in the exhibition, said the exhibit surprised visitors who viewed Ukraine as an unusual meeting destination.
While individual Ukrainian companies have had exhibits at the international trade show in the past, the latest venture was a broad-scale campaign aimed at promoting Ukraine, Gagarina said. She said the exhibit marked the first time the country had been marketed as a place to conduct international business meetings and conferences. Nine large Ukrainian travel agencies, airlines and hotels were on hand at this year’s show.
Ukraine played up its proximity to Europe and its more exotic side, focusing on the country’s ancient culture, largely unknown in the West, she said. The State Tourist Administration and Mission Ukraine Cognita attempted to position Ukraine as a novelty destination.
“We chose the message: We are European: young, modern and dynamic,” Gagarina said. “We said that Ukraine is a country with good taste, high intellect and high potential. This is Europe’s future.”
And according to the Geneva presenters, people listened.
“Ukraine surprised a rather experienced Western audience and attracted the attention of businesses looking for a new, unusual destination that can leave fresh impressions,” she said.
Mission Ukraine Cognita, a non-governmental organization established two years ago to build Ukraine’s international image, has plans for bringing more business travel to the country.
At the trade show, a 10-minute video was distributed on CD-ROM along with information about Ukraine.
Tourism Minister Valery Tsybukh and Deputy Prime Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk held a reception at Ukraine’s exhibit booth. Gagarina said their presence emphasized to visitors that the nation is now taking business seriously. Ukrainian pop singer Ani Lorak also made an appearance and visitors were treated to samples of Massandra desert wines.
“We went to great lengths to make Ukraine attractive,” Gagarina said. But will those efforts be rewarded?
A Swiss travel industry magazine quoted Chris Pentz, a U.S.-based healthcare conference organizer, as saying that she was surprised to see Ukraine at the Geneva show. Pentz told Travel Inside that she had never considered taking her business to Ukraine, but the trade show left her with favorable impressions.
“With five years of experience taking part in exhibitions, the Geneva travel show was the most useful and effective for us in terms of the quantity of contacts and the amount of interest [those contacts] showed in us,” said Ihor Yatsenko, commercial director of the New Logic travel agency.
Yatsenko said he expects to see results from the agency’s participation as early as this summer.
Ladislav Fornvald, executive director of Olimp Travel, said that significant results from the show would not be seen until 2005 since it takes about two years to organize a major business conference.
“If Ukraine gets at least five contracts worth $500,000 from the conference, that would be great,” Gagarina said.
The number of business visitors that enter Ukraine increases each year, with business travelers accounting for almost one in three visitors.
Despite its promotional efforts, however, the country still lacks an experienced infrastructure to serve business meetings, including Western-style meeting facilities. There is currently only one 5-star hotel in the country and no conference center, although plans for an office center in Kyiv have already been approved and construction is underway.
Insiders doubt that Ukraine will become an important market for incentive travel in the near future because of the general lack of facilities, services and events which are essential to successful business conferences.
“In contrast to Moscow or Saint Petersburg where incentive tourism is well developed, we have few facilities to attract participants. We also lack the ability to effectively promote our national traditions and performances,” Fornvald said.
Gagarina said the tourist infrastructure will improve as more travelers arrive, bringing with them the demand.
“If we provoke interest in the country, it will push the development of the tourism and hospitality infrastructure. This is the way to make Ukraine a significant venue for business events,” Gagarina said.
