The High-level Forum on Tourism, held under the Ukrainian Presidency in Kyiv on 1 March, was opened by Olena Shapovalova, Chairman of the Ukraine State Agency for Tourism and Resorts. In her welcome speech she confirmed the commitment of the Ukrainian Government to further develop its tourism sector and stressed that EURO 2012 would be an extraordinary opportunity to reach this goal.
The Forum provided an opportunity to discuss the state and prospects of sustainable development of tourism. The importance of tourism as a tool for economic and social development as well as job creation was underlined. The Minister of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Valon Saracini, presented the activities and measures implemented by the new government in order to encourage foreign investments in the tourism sector and attract more visitors from abroad. CEI Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Zoran Jovanovic, informed participants on CEI activities and priority areas and emphasized that the CEI is paying particular attention to projects in the tourism sector, especially in its non-EU Member States. The CEI could be a successful platform for experience exchange and realization of joint projects.