Travel related infrastructure. Advocacy for tourism issues and favorable policy outcomes and regulatory environment

  • Feasibility studies
  • Planning of tourism infrastructure and development of design estimates
  • Own informational resources
  • Advocacy and lobbying campaigns
  • Monitoring and analysis of the regulatory environment
  • Development of draft regulations, strategies and development programs
  • Representation of tourism business entities’ interests in the state and local authorities
  • Legal assistance and legal support of tourism activities

The transport accessibility is, certainly, an important key to success and implies the possibility of getting quickly and conveniently to a destination as well as the availability of a developed and flexible transport network within the destination itself. The duration and convenience of travelling to a destination and the easiness of transport trips significantly influence a tourist’s impressions and are part of visitor experience.

At the same time, in today’s world overfilled with information, cities, regions and countries compete intensely for a consumer’s attention. In this respect, information accessibility is extremely important and implies the availability and easy search of useful, sufficient and up-to-date information about a potential travelling destination. In view of information excess that quickly disorients and tires consumers, the information necessary for them to make travelling decisions should be brought closer to them, placed in the Internet at a distance of one click or in real places convenient for tourists.

Being well aware of the importance of accessibility of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and Ukraine as a whole for international travellers, at the very beginning of our activities we were among the initiators of cancellation of entry visas for the EU, Canada and the US citizens. The campaign for visa cancellation launched in Ivano-Frankivsk Region later resulted in Presidential Decree No. 569/2005 of 31.03.2005 “On the Temporary Introduction of a Visa-Free Entering Procedure for Citizens of the European Union and the Swiss Confederation” followed by Presidential Decree No. 1008/2005 of 30.06.2005 “On the Introduction of a Visa-Free Entering Procedure for Citizens of the United States of America”, No. 1131/2005 of 26.07.2005 “On the Introduction of a Visa-Free Entering Procedure for Citizens of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Lichtenstein” and No. 1134/2005 of 26.07.2005 “On the Introduction of a Visa-Free Entering Procedure for Citizens of Canada”, all of which are still in force.

The improvement of the region’s accessibility by transport was one of the main objectives of two projects implemented by us. An efficiently planned and intensive lobbying campaign resulted in the implementation of the main steps preceding the conclusion of an international treaty concerning opening of a border pass on the Ukrainian-Romanian state border in the area of Shybene – Poienile de sub Munte. The activities on construction of border pass infrastructure and a motorway were included in the Agreement on the Regional Development of Ivano-Frankivsk Region between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council of 06.10.2010 and later, according to Regulation No. 807 of 17.10.2013 by the Cabinet of Ministers, in the State Target Social Program of Development of Sport and Tourism Infrastructure in Ukraine in 2011-2022.

Within the project we also assisted with the professional Environmental Impact Analyses (EIA) study of the motorway and border pass construction projects and with the economic feasibility study.

We are actively involved in the preparation of various strategic documents concerning the development of local communities and organize our own activities, steadily promoting regular measures in terms of improvement of the region’s transport accessibility, information availability and market communications.

Speaking of accessibility, we also imply another special and very important aspect that is indicative of social progress – the creation of access opportunities for low-mobility visitors. These include both disabled persons and other categories of people with low mobility for various reasons – elderly persons, pregnant women, parents with small children (baby buggies), injured persons, etc. When planning and creating the tourism infrastructure or tourism products, we always provide for proper access opportunities for such visitors.

The activity of players on tourism market in Ukraine is regulated by a big set of laws and regulations. Alongside with general registration and licensing procedures common for all business entities, the activities in the sphere of tourism are also subject to special regulations. Thus, the activity of travel agencies and passenger transportation are subject to licensing and there are legislative requirements in terms of financial provision for the travel agencies’ and agents’ liability; the legislation also provides for voluntary categorization of hotels, other accommodation facilities, restaurants, cafes, catering units, certification of certain services provided to tourists; the tourism market participants’ activity is also regulated by numerous standards.

Thus, in the process of their business activities, tourism market participants constantly contact with authorities, licensing and controlling bodies, which almost inevitably leads to infringements on their rights and legitimate interests.

From the very beginning of our activities, we have attached great importance to the creation of a friendly regulatory environment for tourism development and the protection of the market participants’ rights, and we direct a significant part of our efforts towards it. We strive for making the authorities’ regulatory interference in tourism activities reasonable and adequate so that it stimulates business activities that are desirable for communities, the region and the country as a whole.

In this respect, we do not only react to complaints from entrepreneurs or sectoral associations about the infringements on rights that already occurred – we try to pursue a preemptive tactic by monitoring the amendments of legislation and the published bills and, if necessary, initiating amendments and adjustments desirable for the industry development.

Besides, we direct our activity towards professional preparation of political and strategic documents aimed at the development of local communities or the sectors of local economy. And we want the strategies and programs to be not just general framework documents made for effect and nice-looking books to decorate high official’s shelves and be presented to honorable guests but thoroughly elaborated complex professional documents, roadmaps reflecting the visions and ways of future development. These documents can be used by local authorities, state and communal organizations to do real planning of their future activities and assessing the degree of accomplishment of the objectives set in their strategic plans.

With the established contacts with authorities and a reputation of professional and responsible partners, we take active part in the work of a number of work groups and advisory structures at the bodies of executive power and local government and represent the interests of tourism market participants. We also make active use of such forms of public dialogue with authorities as round tables, public discussions, etc. Simultaneously, we apply focus group surveys, on line questionnaires and interviews as forms of gathering and processing information for subsequent generation of ideas and suggestions.

By keeping a constructive dialogue with authorities, preparing and presenting drafts of regulations and programs, we try to draw their attention and direct their activity towards measures that are crucial to the establishment of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and Ukraine as tourist destinations and the development of tourism, including the construction and improvement of roads, creation of tourism products that will encourage tourists to come and stay in the region, appropriate promotion and spreading of tourist information, improvement of transport communication, designing of a system of on-site orientation, development of electronic information and payment services, etc. And in each particular case, we provide analytical data confirming real advantages and benefit from the implementation of our suggestions for the region, the industry or local communities (if possible, with figures and costs).

If necessary, our experts provide tourism market participants with professional legal assistance, including consulting, legal analysis of the situation, suggesting algorithms of protection of infringed rights, drawing up complaints, petitions and procedural documents as well as representation of interests before the authorities. We try to offer the most effective and cost-efficient way of legal protection, ensure the protection of general (strategic) interests of tourism market participants, with a guarantee of promptness, professionalism and confidentiality.

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