It is believed that packaging and delivery are half the impression of a product. Similarly, serving and a good sauce are half the pleasure of a meal. And associated services and amenities are half the experience of travelling. This understanding is the starting point for the conscious promotion of tourism, involving various institutions and businesses to implement a step-by-step strategy.
U-LEAD and the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine arranged a study visit "Organisation of tourism activities of municipal enterprises in Lviv Oblast". The participants learned the practices of municipal enterprises engaged in tourism promotion on the examples of Lviv Oblast municipalities.
"I am grateful to the U-LEAD Programme, which supported the amalgamation of municipalities in the field of tourism development. Joint MEs in the field of tourism are an investment in the development of your municipalities. It is a strategic decision. Ukraine has a huge potential. But it is extremely difficult to promote tourism in small municipalities, which lack sufficient human resources. Therefore, it is important to pool these resources and invest in development," said Mariana Oleskiv, Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine.
The representatives of municipalities got to see the practical ways of developing tourism in a big city with the help of municipal enterprises. Lviv Tourism Office, the Tourism Development Centre LME and the Tourist Information Centre in Lviv, as well as the Municipal Gallery served them as examples.
"Joint municipal enterprises provide a platform for service providers to find their customers. They act as a bridge between businesses and tourists visiting municipalities. In fact, they inform about what and where is available, as well as how to take advantage of it," said Viktoriia Cheban, advisor of the U-LEAD Regional Office in Chernivtsi Oblast, head of the working group on Municipal property and utilities management.
Local brands: Local history told through the lens of salt and oil
The best practices of the municipal enterprises on tourism development in Drohobych and Boryslav proved to be a useful experience for the participants of the visit. After all, this includes branding, marketing and promotion, and creating tourist attractions, as well as an example of cooperation between MEs to promote tourism in two neighbouring municipalities.
With its tourist slogan "All the salt is there", Drohobych impressed not only with the saltworks, which shows the same method of salt production as thousands of years ago by boiling it from natural brine. The team of enthusiasts and Dorohobych TIC make it possible for tourists to enjoy theatrical tours, visits to the Street Museum and sacred architectural sites, many photo zones and an observation deck, as well as coffee with salt and other gastronomic specialities.
"When our last plant, which generated the municipal budget, closed down, it became crucial for us to develop tourism. We are proud of our continuity in the tourism sector. We don't have the situation where a new broom sweeps clean. The followers continue the work of their predecessors. It is extremely important for us to demonstrate our historical continuity to tourists. We are Ukrainians with our own identity, who have always been here," says Taras Kuchma, mayor of Drohobych.
While in Boryslav, the participants learned how the Boryslav TIC managed to promote industrial tourism right in the city park and make it a unique tourist magnet. The park features industrial oil equipment, working pumping units, and metal statues of real-life personalities. Another unique place is the Johann Seh Pharmacy Museum, which displays the development of pharmaceuticals, oil production and refining. Johann Zeh was among the first researchers of Boryslav oil and the actual inventor of the technology of its fractionation. Oil has always been and remains the central element here, as evidenced by the tourist slogan of the city: "Everything started with oil". Coffee is also made in a special way here, using Naftusia mineral water.
People drive progress
The final day of the visit was dedicated to learning about the role of the municipal enterprise in the development of the Tustan Nature Reserve, a popular tourist destination in Lviv Oblast. Here, the participants got a demonstration of the ways to develop the tourist potential of a natural location with a historical past. This was achieved through creating the Hata u Hlubokym Local History Centre and launching several festivals from scratch, as well as organising associated services. This all comes from teams of professionals who set a goal and work towards it, implementing both small and large projects.
"Local teams inspire people to come back again because of their charisma. Everything depends on people. Development requires people to be passionate about their work. The important role of local self-government bodies in this process involves not only creating a municipal enterprise and then leaving it, but also constantly monitoring and supporting its activities, understanding the importance of tourism promotion," shared his impressions of the visit Oleh Martsinkovskyi, a programme participant from the Zavodska municipality in Ternopil Oblast.
Among the visitors were representatives of the municipalities that participate in the Support for the establishment of joint municipal enterprises in the tourism sector programme in Volyn, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Rivne and Lviv Oblasts.