OREANDA-NEWS. May 31, 2013. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov considers that a tourist branch of Ukraine could secure, like the states of European Union, 8% of aggregate GDP and 12% of workplaces in the total employment rate. This was stressed by the head of Government in the course of a sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

“In the states of the EU tourism forms 8 percent of aggregate GDP, while the number of workplaces in the tourist industry makes up around 12 percent from the total employment rate. On such a level Ukraine must be focused and it is a completely feasible goal,” Mykola Azarov explained.

The Prime Minister emphasized that especially after Euro-2012 the flow of tourists to Ukraine was growing: “It can either become stably huge or return to the countries with better service and infrastructure”.

At this, the head of Government drew attention to the need to immediately modernize the tourist industry: “We should change systemically our attitude to the tourist industry and principles of work on this market,” Mykola Azarov stressed and added that development of tourism as an industry meant simultaneous development of other economic sectors, such as transport, communication, building, trade and others. According to him, in whole the development of tourism is a perspective line to boost Ukraine’s economics.