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A year ago, we set ourselves ambitious aim to develop a methodology and conduct detailed statistical analysis in line with UNWTO's international guidelines on the satellite tourism account to see a complete, objective picture of the impact of the tourism sector on the country's economy. Friends, it wasn't easy, but together we did it! After all, now we know that tourism in Ukraine is not 1.5% of GDP, but 11.6%.
The Tourist Barometer of Ukraine is an attempt to gather together all possible statistical data that in one way or another characterize tourism and obtained in the course of various state statistical observations. All data are taken from official sources - the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the State Tax Service of Ukraine, the main statistical offices of the regions of Ukraine. The data collected in some regions of Ukraine during surveys initiated by structural units authorized for tourism development were used in the construction of the satellite account. The preparation of the Tourist Barometer takes into account the peculiarities of national legislation and the existing information base.
The first time in the history of Ukraine such work has been brought to a logical conclusion, so we can consider this pilot project as the beginning of the era of adequate and reliable data in tourism!
Development of tourism is associated with creation of a tourist product, development of tourist infrastructure, growth of investment income, formation and strengthening of the image of the territory, a number of decisions on urban design, directions and forms of promotion. And each such decision requires reliable information support based on the calculation and analysis of quantitative indicators, which are based on statistical data.
Improving the national system of tourism statistics, its adaptation to user needs, transfer to an accessible digital platform - these are relevant tasks for the Ukrainian tourism industry, the solution of which will better understand market trends, monitor the patterns of tourism development; take into account spatial features; identify and evaluate target markets. Clear and accessible tourism statistics becomes the basis for strategic decisions by both entrepreneurs and state and local authorities, in particular those related to investment or financing of tourism projects. Currently, the national system of tourism statistics is characterized by a number of internal contradictions, which seriously complicates the further use of data to make strategic decisions.
The structurally presented Tourist Barometer of Ukraine is a collection of data on tourist demand (flow of visitors, number of people accommodated in collective accommodation, museum visitors, passenger traffic), tourist supply (employment in tourism, investment activity, balance of payments in tourism-related industries). The publication also contains data on the contribution of tourism to the aggregate supply of goods and services within the national / regional economy, obtained on the basis of the method of auxiliary (satellite) tourism account. The calculation of these data became possible thanks to the information provided by the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and the Department of International Cooperation, European Integration, Tourism and Investment of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration.
The main difference of this publication is that it uses a new approach to Ukrainian tourism statistics - large data sets of structural statistics on the number of business entities, employment, volume of services provided, value added and costs are grouped according to the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 principle - by type of tourism products, which allows you to take a step towards understanding the place of tourism in the economy.
Currently, the Tourist Barometer of Ukraine does not contain any data on the attendance of specific tourist attractions, protected areas and exhibitions; visitor costs. These information gaps are planned to be filled in the near future.
The tourist barometer is intended for use by specialists of state and local authorities, potential investors, representatives of business, scientific organizations and institutions, relevant public organizations, and other interested individuals and legal entities.
The compilers express their sincere gratitude to all those who made efforts to issue this publication, especially the Tourism division of the Department of International Cooperation, European Integration, Tourism and Investment of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Kherson region for fruitful cooperation and practical assistance.
National Tourism Organization of Ukraine
thanks the curator of the project, the chief expert of NTOU on tourism statistics - Yulia Zabaldina, as well as all our colleagues who participated in the methodology, data collection, analysis and design, development of electronic dashboards and the formation of a tourist barometer: Nataliia Roskladka, Andrii Roskladka, Ivan Voin Studio, Vitalina Martynovska, Vitaliy Perederko, Mykola Shapoval, Natalia Tabaka and many others.
This project was implemented as a part of comprehensive support to the tourism sector through
USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Programme