The promotion of the region on the American market during the working trip was carried out by Taras Lozynskyi, the head of LOVA’s tourism and resorts department.
During the visit from October 23 to November 5, there was an opportunity to participate in three tourist events: Travel trade show in New Jersey; International travel show ITS2023 in New York; Travel trade show in Westchester.
“According to the results of the working visit, I can say with confidence that quite a lot of Americans do not know that Ukraine, in particular, Lviv Region, is an attractive territory for travel, therefore promotion on the American market is extremely important for reviving travel in the future.
Thanks to participation in the events, it was possible to develop a good base of counterparties who are ready to work with Ukraine and form package offers. The greatest interest was shown in wellness recreation at balneological resorts, active recreation in the Carpathians, ski resorts and, of course, Lviv as a city with a rich history. One interesting fact for attracting tourists is the Lviv Statue of Liberty, which sits on the building of the Museum of Ethnography,” Taras Lozynskyi shared his impressions.
One day at the International travel show was dedicated to the media, which expressed a desire to explore Ukraine and highlight information on the American market for free, as one of the methods of supporting Ukraine. For example, Mikaela Giuzi, a well-known media personality in the States, who recently returned from Croatia, where she filmed a series of travel programs, is interested in visiting the western part of Ukraine and shooting some blogs.
According to Taras Lozynskyi, among the participants of the exhibition there were many Americans whose families come from Ukraine, so a sentimental type of tourism can be one of the travel options. One of the tour operators was also interested in the Jewish heritage, its preservation and development in Ukraine.
The manager also had the opportunity to participate in the meeting of members of the Skal International organization, which was founded back in 1934. Skal promotes global tourism and friendship by bringing together all sectors of the hospitality industry. More than 12,000 members from 76 countries, including managers and industry leaders, meet at local, national, regional and international levels. They also discussed the prospects of Lviv Oblast’s membership in Skal International.
The Department of Tourism and Resorts of LOVA expresses its gratitude to all the hoteliers of the Lviv region who shared materials and gift certificates in order to properly represent the Lviv region and Ukraine as a whole on this trip. It is worth noting that participation in the events and stay in the USA was financed by the host party, namely the Rebuild Ukraine Travel organization.
“I believe that we will be able to establish a very productive relationship. We intend to move Ukraine in general and Lviv Oblast in particular from the last place for Americans to visit Eastern Europe to one of the first.
Another goal is to combine tourism with charity, which will make it possible to provide housing for many Ukrainians who lost their homes due to the war. A portion of every dollar spent by every American traveler will go to housing projects of the Rebuild Ukraine Fund. Our motto: Rebuild life through travel,” emphasized Oleksandr Vosk, founder of Rebuild Ukraine Travel.