Kherson State University

         On March 11^th, 2015 the Round table was held on the topic: «Cruise tourism in the Kherson Region: challenges and opportunities» at the Faculty of Natural Science, Human Health and Tourism of Kherson State University in the framework of Tempus Project ("543681-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-DE-TEMPUS-JPHES-CruiseT").

        The meeting of the Round table was held under the leadership of the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Science, Human Health and Tourism, the Project Coordinator «Tempus CruiseT» of KSU – Oksana Lavrykova, during the meeting she concentrated the intention of the audience on the realization of European cooperation in the framework of the project «Tempus CruiseT» and defined the directions of activity of the participants of the working group of given Project of Kherson State University.

Also the scientists of Kherson State University, who were engaged in problems of tourism; the representatives of the International Business Department, Tourism and Resorts of Kherson Regional State Administration (KRSA), Kherson River Port,  travel companies, public  organizations, translation agencies, Advertising companies and also mass media organizations took part in the activity of this event.

        The  directions of the Project implementation in Kherson State University were represented by the Head of the Department of the Tourism of Kherson State University, Vitalii Yurchenko,  specifically: carrying out the research activity by the lecturers of the Department and consulting work with the State Authorities of Kherson Region, with regional subjects of the tourist industry with the purpose of learning the structure of market of the tourist services in the region, the recreational potential, the activity of the national and cultural centers of Kherson region. Vitalii Yurchenko appointed the ways of realization of students’ research in the framework of the «Summer school», which will be planned in June – July, 2015 for the development of the tourist branch of our region. The Head of the Department substantiated  the  condition  of  learning, the method design  and  means of  research of  ecological  tourism as  the form of leisure  and the  nature  protection activity with the aim of rising  the level  of the tourist attractiveness  of Kherson Region in the development  of ecological tourism, and also, to determine the peculiarities  and  basic  issues  of the organization  of  Cruise tourism in the region.

       The Senior Lecturer of the Department of Human Health of Kherson State University Vasilyeva Natalia opened the forms and organizational foundation of training in the University of Paderborn and raising the qualification in the field of recreation tourism in Germany. The report of training was presented, its basic tasks and realization. In accordance with received experience, also the lecturer pointed out the necessity of standardization of the tourist services of Kherson Region. 

The leader  of the public organization «The  Agency of regional development of  Tavria  consolidation  of territorial  community» – Pavlo Yarmyi  accentuated  the attention  of  presents  on  the necessity and  the willingness of  the support  creation  of the third  regional  center of competence  for the development   of  the cruise tourism  in the Black Sea  Region on  the basis of Kherson State University. Such a proposal was supported as by the part of International Business Department, Tourism and Resorts of Kherson Regional State Administration (KRSA) and travel companies, so from the part of public organizations and all interested parts of the community of Kherson Region.

The chief  specialist  of the department  of  the development  recreational and resorts territories of  the  International Business Department, Tourism and Resorts of Kherson Regional State Administration – Olena Yakuba informed that  in  2013  the organization "Kherson- tourism"  opened  The Tourist informative center  in the downtown of Kherson  and  the opening of  such tourist informative centers is planned  on the territory  of Kherson Region. The specialist pointed out, that the opening of a new river route "Kherson-Nowa Kakhovka" is planned with the usage of the hydrofoil boat.

        The representative of the tourist company «PanGEO» O. Zhiltsova,

 accentuated on the actuality of such  issues of the tourism development,  as  the absence  of the  appropriate  transport infrastructure  of Kherson and region, the expansive cost of the rent of the parking places of the liners in Ukrainian  ports. 

        B.B.Rachinskyi –  the representative of the tourist agency  «Plaza Tour», opened the questions about the necessity  of the coordinative actions as for the gathering  and systematization of  facts  about the development  of the  tourist  directions  from the different informative sources.

        During  the  Round table  it was  indicated, that  the Cruise  tourism  is one of the most complicated aspect  of tourism, as it includes  many  complex  products  - it is  the organization of the nutrition and excursions around the city, and  the entertainment programs, travelling  information  and many other. The problems of Cruise tourism certainly  exist, and  for this  the Government  cultivates  the  events  as to the improvement  and attractiveness  of the cruise tourism  in Ukraine. Cruise tourism is  the perspective kind  of recreation  and  makes use of  the demand  in the world, so it is necessary to develop  it in Ukraine, but many problems exist: almost total absence of the equipped  passenger’s  ports and stations; unsatisfactory  condition  of the river moorings;  the absence  of special  equipped and  completed  comfortable  cruiser ; basket case  and  «old age» of the river  fleet; almost absence of  the construction  of new  river  motor ships ; the low level  of the service maintenance  at  enough  high  cost of the  services.    

However, this kind of tourism has its own development prospects. That is, the renewal  of  the active uniform  cruise shipping  along   the river Dnipro,  nowadays it is  the  priority  direction of the Region policy  in the sphere of recreation,  that  contributes  to the consolidation  of  interregional  relations, and also  relations  between  governing bodies of tourism and private companies, that work on the cruise market. But   the main step in the effective  development of cruise  tourism  consists in  the creation  of theoretical  and methodological background for the improvement  research  methods, optimization of  the organizational structure and practical activity.