Ukraine promotes tourism to boost economy

Ukraine is implementing a national program to promote its tourist attractions and improve tourism-related infrastructure in a bid to boost its economy, Deputy Prime Minister Olexandr Vilkul said Thursday. "We want to turn our tourism potential into an important engine of economic growth," Vilkul told the Second Kiev International Tourism Summit. The government program includes measures aimed at promoting the county's tourist destinations worldwide, upgrading hotels, airports, beaches and ski resorts and increase its capacity to host different cultural events, Vilkul said. With overseas tourist arrivals expected to reach 50 million in 2022, the government strives to increase tourism revenue by threefold to 625 million U.S. dollars annually and create 600,000 new jobs in the next decade, Vilkul said. According to the State Statistic Service, foreign visitor arrivals in Ukraine hit 23 million in 2012.