PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN THE REGIONS OF UKRAINE IN THE CURRENT CONDITIONS
Abstract
The article analyzes the state and prospects for the development of the hospitality industry in the regions of Ukraine in modern conditions. The main influencing factors on the development of the hospitality industry in the regions of the country were determined, and it was proved that most factors have a destructive effect. The political situation in the country contributed to the change in tourist flows. Today, outbound tourism in Ukraine is twice as large in terms of the flow of tourists as domestic tourism. During the pandemic, the situation changed somewhat in the direction of increasing domestic tourism, but since the beginning of the war, the number of people who left the country is quite significant. According to the Border Service, before the war, citizens of Moldova, Belarus, Poland, and Romania came to the regions of Ukraine.
An analysis of the state of the hospitality industry by region was carried out, based on indicators of the amount of the tourist tax, which according to Ukrainian legislation can reach from 0.5 to 5% of the tourist's expenses, depending on the region. In the regions of Ukraine, tourists pay a tourist tax in the amount determined by local self-government bodies. However, today there are no developed control mechanisms for this process, and the real indicators of the tourist tax are much higher than the official ones. Despite the losses suffered by the hospitality industry in the regions of Ukraine due to the war, for the first half of 2022 the amount of the tourist tax in general amounted to 89 million 420 thousand UAH, which is 28.8% more compared to the same period in 2021 (69 million 453 thousand UAH). The highest increase in tourist tax among the regions of Ukraine in the first six months of 2022 was observed in the Lviv region – 19 million 774 thousand UAH or 193% compared to the same period in 2021.
The main problems of the hospitality industry in the regions of Ukraine are identified, which includes the improvement and restoration of infrastructure, especially in the regions that have experienced significant terrorist influence from Russia. Quality is a defining indicator in the hospitality industry. Quality service depends on specialists and their competences. The conducted analysis of the level of provision of personnel potential of the hospitality industry in the regions of the country proves the feasibility of increasing the level of foreign language proficiency of the personnel of the specified sector for the perspective development of inbound tourism. Also, promotion is important in the hospitality industry. In the global dimension of international exhibitions and forums, Ukraine looks quite modest. Today, there are about 3,000 thousand different corporations in the hospitality industry in the world, which have offices in almost all countries of the world.
It has been proven that the formation of comprehensive regional tourism products and services is a promising direction for the development of the hospitality industry in the regions. The expediency of forming associations of tourism subjects in the form of tourist clusters, alliances, and unions with the purpose of developing new regional tourist products and services, as well as promoting them outside the region, including on the global tourist market, has been determined
