Dear Editor,
I am writing to thank you for some excellent Euro 2012 coverage. As an international journalist it has been very useful to read the Kyiv Post.
This is my second visit to Ukraine’s capital and I am slightly disappointed with the selling tactics used by some of the city’s businesses recently. Whilst interviewing some England and Sweden supporters in a bar before their clash at the Olympic Stadium, I noticed that several fans were questioning the price of Ukrainian beer; they were charged almost double what they paid the day before. The owners had hidden their usual menus and replaced them with a chalkboard containing new, inflated prices. Furthermore, I was surprised to be charged separately for a tiny slice of lemon in a coke and a sprinkle of cheese on a spaghetti bolognese dish at a cafe near Kreshschatyk Street. These jokers added an extra 38 hryvnia on to my bill on the sly.
I do not even need to mention accommodation prices. I just hope that some hotel owners have empty rooms as a result of their Euro greed.
Whilst I realize that there is money to be made from sporting events, I feel that some Ukrainians are missing the point. This is the first time a major football tournament has been staged in Eastern Europe. It is a superb opportunity to sell the country internationally.
Instead of four weeks of over-the-top pricing, why not encourage visitors to return to Kyiv and spend money on a regular basis?
Kind regards,
Andy May
ESPN STAR Sports
