Spotlight: Ukraine offers eased visa regime, affordable tours to woo more Chinese travellers

Ukraine is stepping up its efforts to attract travellers from China with a continued liberalization of visa regime and reasonable prices for tours, senior Ukrainian transport and tourism officials said on Friday.

Eugene Dykhne, an acting head of the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, said that Ukraine has witnessed a growing number of travelers from China since it has introduced visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese tourists and businessmen in June this year.

"There is an increasing interest of Chinese travellers for Ukraine," Dykhne told Xinhua during a conference dedicated to the development of tourism ties between China and Ukraine.

"In 2015, only 20 percent of Chinese citizens, who travelled via Boryspil airport, were heading to Ukraine, while the rest were transit passengers. Now, 40 percent of the passengers travel directly to Ukraine," he said.

Chinese citizens can obtain 15-day Ukrainian entry visas upon their arrival at the Boryspil Airport and at the airport of Ukraine's southern Black Sea resort of Odessa if they have a document confirming the business or tourist purpose of the visit. The visa fee is about 100 U.S. dollars.

Currently, the visa issuing process takes between 15 and 30 minutes, but the Boryspil airport together with the country's Foreign Ministry are developing a plan to reduce the time of the procedure to seven minutes, Dykhne said.

"This year, we have intensified our efforts to create the most favorable conditions for Chinese passengers," he said.

According to the official, now about 2,500 passengers travel between Kiev and Beijing per week, but the number of the travellers is expected to increase as next year new 420-seat and 440-seat aircraft will replace the 250-seat plane on this route.

Meanwhile, Olena Shapovalova, Vice President of Tourism and Resorts Committee at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, said that the Ukrainian government is drawing a plan to further liberalize the visa regime with China.

"The Foreign Ministry continues the work in this direction and it is considering a possibility to introduce a visa-free travel for organized tour groups," Shapovalova told Xinhua.

She said that Ukraine is an attractive destination for tourists through a combination of unique historical architecture, beautiful nature, a diversity of ski and beach resorts and affordable prices.

"Currently, the most popular tours in Ukraine are the seven-day trips, which include Kiev and Odessa or Kiev and Lviv -- the cities which are known abroad, including in China," Shapovalova said.

"These tour packages without airfare cost between 500 and 700 dollars per person, including all local transport, sightseeing tours and accommodation in 4-star hotels," she added.

Chinese travelers, who visit Ukraine, are particularly interested in the cultural heritage of the East European country and its history, she noted.

"Chinese tourists are interested in visiting different museums, for instance, the Museum of Miniatures in Kiev or the Museum of Scythian gold. Besides, they have an interest in patriotic tourism -- frequently visit the Museum of Soviet social realism writer Nikolay Ostrovsky. The Museum of Amber is also very popular among the Chinese travelers," Shapovalova said.

Her words were echoed by Tian Peng, a travel blogger from China, who said that the ancient Ukrainian culture was among the key factors that inspired him to visit the East European country, where he spent four days.

"Ukraine has a rich culture and a delicious food. If I have time I will come back here again. I will recommend my friends to come here, because there are many nice people in Ukraine and beautiful scenery," Tian told Xinhua. Endit