The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine has promulgated a draft law that proposes raising financial support for tour operators by 10 times and introducing fines for illegal use of categories by hotels.
According to the text of the draft law posted on the ministry’s website, the amount of financial provision for a tour operator should be at least 5 percent of the annual sales volume for the previous year, but not less than 200,000 euro for the operator offering outbound tourism services (against 20,000 euro in current legislation), not less than 100,000 euro for tour operators of inbound and domestic tourism (against 10,000 euro), not less than 50,000 euro for operators of domestic tourism. At the same time, financial support for travel agents must be at least 5 percent of the annual sales volume, but not less than 20,000 euro.
The size of guarantees for newly established tour operators is equal to the lower threshold depending on the chosen type of tourism, or 10,000 euro per travel agent.
The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade also proposes stipulating fines for violators of tourism legislation, in particular, for illegal use of tourist infrastructure categories and not providing tourist entry and departure under the contract in the amount of 100-500 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens, and for repeated violations during the year some 800-1,000 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens.
