Euro 2012 to trigger tourism boom in Ukraine: official
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E-mail Xinhua, May 24, 2012
The Euro 2012 soccer tournament will lead to a boom in Ukraine's travel industry, local tourism official said here Wednesday.
"Ukraine is expected to have a growth of between 30 percent and 40 percent in its international visitor arrivals this year," the head of the State Agency for Tourism and Resorts Alona Shapovalova said at the government meeting.
Ukraine is estimated to attract 2 million overseas visitors in 2012, Shapovalova said.
The state's tourism profits are projected to be at 1.84 billion U.S. dollars, up nearly 50 percent year-on-year, she said.
The tourism industry of Ukraine performed well last year, Shapovalova said, adding that Ukraine's earnings from the international arrivals totaled 1.2 million dollars in 2011, representing a strong year-on-year growth of 20 percent.
The Euro 2012 tournament will be co-hosted by Ukraine and neighboring Poland from June 8 to July 1 with a total of 1.4 million fans expected to visit the event.
