Come summer, when the snow has melted, Kharkiv in Ukraine is looking forward to an influx of visitors. It's one of four cities hosting matches during the European football championships, being held in June in Ukraine and Poland. Tourists trying to book accommodation might come in for a nasty surprise - many hotels and hostels are charging several hundred dollars a night. Now a group of locals is stepping in - by offering to put foreign fans up for free in their flats. Ivan Varchenko is one of the organisers.
Ivan Varchenko, Kharkiv regional council deputy and of "Welcome to Ukraine" Initiative organisers, says: "The hotels and hotel operators have increased prices dramatically, sometimes they're ten times more than their usual rate. We think this is unacceptable, and creates a very negative image of our country. It will keep our guests away, and we want these guests to come, we want to get to know them." Tetyana Lesyk is one of the 150 local residents who is offering her spare room. She wants to help boost tourism with a warm, personal welcome.
Tetyana Leysk, member of "Welcome to Ukraine" Initiative, says: "You can come and stay with me, it doesn't matter whether it's for a month, a week, three days, or one day - I'll still bake pies, boil water in the samovar for tea and we can even take you for a city tour in our car." Dozens of others are willing to join, and the group says the hardest part is getting the message to foreign visitors. The Kharkiv Palace Hotel isn't increasing its room rate. Nor are the hotels which have a contract with the football association UEFA - but most of them are already fully booked. UEFA's Ukraine Director warns supporters might stay away.
Uefa Ukaraine director, Markiyan Lubkivsky, says "If the situation develops so that prices remain high and the service is insufficent, then football fans might refuse to go to Ukraine. During the tournament, Ukraine will open up for more flights - that means passengers could fly with low-cost carriers. It could end up being cheaper for them to come over for a match, fly home afterwards and then fly back three days later." Locals are running similar free room schemes in Ukraine's other host cities. So football fans might find their accommodation during the summer's tournament comes with local knowledge instead of room service.
Reuters
