European Championship organizers in Ukraine said Thursday, Apr. 19, they have convinced hotels to lower prices after football officials criticized price gouging in the ex-Soviet nation.
Markian Lubkivsky, head of the Euro 2012 organizing committee in Ukraine, said that hotel and hostel prices are no longer "critically" inflated.
"Our strongest point was that if prices are sky high, then fans simply won’t come here," Lubkivsky told reporters. "And I think this point has worked."
The statement comes days after UEFA President Michel Platini urged Ukrainian authorities to prevent "bandits and crooks" from charging fans attending the event exorbitant prices for hotel accommodation.
Ukraine co-hosts Euro 2012 with Poland from June 8 to July 1, and some hotels in the country were charging up to 10 times their normal rates. Others were canceling reservations made months in advance.
Lubkivsky vowed that fans coming to Ukraine will be able to find accommodation, including low-cost options such as one or two-star hotels, hostels and camp sites.
UEFA officials have said that lowering hotel prices remains the biggest obstacle in organizing the tournament. Critics say that price gouging will portray Ukraine as a greedy country and may hurt its tourism industry for years to come at a time when the government tries to boost tourism to help the country’s struggling economy.
