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"A few years ago, foreign companies showed no interest in
having business meetings and seminars in Ukraine, preferring
London, Prague or Budapest," she said. "Now they are beginning
to come to Kyiv and Odessa."
She said that the local meeting business is growing despite Kyiv's
under-developed hold infrastructure, a problem that has
historically kept foreign companies from organizing events in
the city.
Even though the local offices of international companies are
travel agencies' most active business clients today, there may be
little hope of significant growth from that quarter. Agencies have
their eyes on the potentially explosive market represented by
domestic firms. Agencies are anxiously awaiting the day that local
companies become more financially mature and begin making
business travel a regular event.
Luyk said that foreign companies account for 90 percent of her
company's customers, but that inversed business from domestic
firms is on the horizon.
"Local companies are attractive to us. There are already a lot of
Ukrainian companies that use travel frequently." she said.
Attracting more local companies is also a goal of Belgium-based
Carlson-Wagonlit Travel, where large Ukrainian companies like
Slavutych brewery account for 30 percent of the agency's
customers.
"When we opened our office three years ago, out target were
multinational European companies," said Olena Martynchuk,
director of the agency's Kyiv office. "But our experience has
shown that the offices of multinational companies have relatively
small travel budgets."
"So now we are interested in quickly developing relationships
with local companies." she said.
By ALLA VETROVCOVA
(From Kyiv Post)

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