You're reading: Lviv looks forward to Euro 2012, tourism boom expected

One million tourists visit Lviv annually, mainly from Poland, Ukraine and Germany.

LVIV – With less than one year before the Union of European Football Associations’ Euro 2012 soccer championship kicks off, western Ukraine’s unofficial capital is gearing up for a tourist boom.

Decorated with picturesque architecture and cobble stoned streets, Lviv was chosen as one of the eight host cities for the tournament that Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland. It will host three group stage matches June 9 -17 in a new stadium that is under construction.


We are really glad that this huge event will take place in our city. Euro 2012 will give us a unique chance to promote our city and also our beautiful country

– Anastasiya Kerechan, manager of the landmark George Hotel in Lviv

According to UEFA, Poles have expressed a high interest in visiting the historic city based on the ticket allocation process held in April.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the tourism potential this city holds. Only a day’s drive from Kyiv and many European cities, Lviv stands a chance to become another Prague-styled tourist hub in Eastern Europe.

“We are really glad that this huge event will take place in our city,” said Anastasiya Kerechan, who manages the landmark George Hotel in Lviv. “Euro 2012 will give us a unique chance to promote our city and also our beautiful country.”

The George Hotel is the oldest in Lviv and moderately priced, with rooms ranging from 35 to 90 Euros. “Of course we will raise our prices next year and, especially in June during Euro 2012. But they will still be affordable,” Kerechan said.

Five to eight hotels get built in Lviv every year to meet the demand for tourists. “Our main task is not only to organize a perfect championship but basically to improve the living standard of our residents,” explained Oleh Zasadny, Lviv’s Euro 2012 office director.

With a staff of team of 20, Zasadny manages public transport for Euro 2012 as well as security and marketing. The city budget is about $12 million for development. With the state’s help, a new stadium, airport terminal and new roads will be built. Russian and Ukrainian investors are especially active in building hotels and restaurants.

“Of course we hope for more investors in the future,” Zasadny said. “But foreign investors are still cautious because of the unstable political situation.”

Besides investment, Zasadny believes that Lviv will repeat future tourism benefits from hosting Euro 2012.

Currently, 1 million tourists annually visit Lviv, mainly from Poland, Ukraine and Germany. For the Euro 2012 tournament alone, more than 400,000 additional tourists are expected in Ukraine.

Souvenir shop owners are looking forward to new business.

Vera Sass, 32, works at a souvenir market near the opera. “We have UEFA t-shirts so far, without a license. These licenses are too expensive when you earn $200 per month,” Sass said.

She offers red-blue scarves with the letters of Poland next to a Ukrainian national scarf. Two countries, one goal: “creating history together,” which is also the official motto of Euro 2012.

The highest-profile construction project is the new football stadium, estimated to cost $200 million. It’s about nine kilometers from the center and is a huge construction site, where about 2,000 construction workers are employed.

Two of four stadiums in Ukraine are already complete: in Donetsk and Kharkiv. The Olympic Stadium in Kyiv is scheduled for completion in November, according to Deputy Premier Borys Kolesnikov, who oversees the government’s Euro 2012 effort.

Lviv’s stadium is expected to be operational by the end of the year, but other infrastructure projects may be lagging.

Poles have doubled the amount of money for this event. We aren’t supported by EU structural funds, like our Polish neighbors, but we will make nevertheless the best of it.

Oleh Zasadny, Lviv’s Euro 2012 office director

In this, Poland has a big financial advantage as a European Union member. The EU is making significant contributions to Poland’s preparations.

“Poles have doubled the amount of money for this event,” Zasadny said. “We aren’t supported by EU structural funds, like our Polish neighbors, but we will make nevertheless the best of it.”

While prices are going up in Lviv, Ludmila Dunets, a spokeswoman for Lviv’s Euro 2012 effort, said the city is still a bargain.

“For sure everything is much more expensive compared to three, four years ago,” Dunets said. “But our prices are nevertheless far lower than in Kyiv and besides we offer our visitors a lot of different events like the chocolate festival, jazz music festival, classical concerts and so on.”

Read also ‘Euro 2012 Briefs’