The following is the official Foreign Ministry statement following today’s (June 20, 2010) cabinet decision eliminating the need for Israeli travelers to apply for a visa to travel to Ukraine.

“The Cabinet, at its meeting today, approved the proposal by the Foreign and Tourism Ministers to cancel the mutual need for tourist visas between Israel and the Ukraine. At the meeting, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov presented the need for the cancellation of tourist visas from the Ukraine and noted that the Tourism Ministry has been operating in the Ukrainian market for several years, promoting incoming tourism. However, the requirement to obtain a tourist visa in a procedure that is both cumbersome and protracted significantly prevents an increase in the number of tourists and the realization of the tourism potential from the Ukraine to Israel.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his support for the tourist visa cancellation and noted that the relevant ministries should work to promote this important matter. The visa cancellation will come into operation following the signing by the two Foreign Ministers and the subsequent cabinet approval.

“Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov: “Given that with every 100,000 additional tourists, about 4,000 new jobs are created and about $200 million injected into the economy, this is a decision with important economic and social implications for the economy. Russian tourism alone has already created thousands of new jobs and brought in hundreds of millions of dollars into the Israeli economy since the cancellation of the visa requirement in October 2008.”

“Only about 73,500 tourists visited Israel from the Ukraine in 2009.
“According to Tourism Ministry estimates, as a result of the visa requirement cancellation, a dramatic increase is expected in the number of tourists from the Ukraine to about 200,000 a year in the near future. It should be noted that, following the visa requirement cancellation from Russia in October

“2008 and before it came into operation, a significant increase of hundreds of percent was registered in incoming tourism from Russia to Israel (from about 193,500 in 2007 to 402,000 in 2009). Countries from the former USSR, in particular Russia and the Ukraine, are considered to have great potential for incoming tourism to Israel. Before the visa requirement from Russia was canceled, organized tour groups from Russia and Eastern Europe were allowed to visit Israel for one day. This option, which still exists today, led to a significant increase in visitors from these countries and, most importantly, their exposure to Israeli tourism which led them to choose Israel as a destination for a longer visit”.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)