The Polyanska hromada held a press tour for regional journalists in order to present their tourist potential.

Polyana is a famous resort with world-wide known mineral water. People always came here for treatment and health improvement, but recently, with the loss of the Crimean direction, the number of tourists coming to rest here increased. As a result, the Polyanska AH continues to re-focus on the client – they initiate new festivals, build recreational complexes, and even plan a grand project for the construction of an eco-settlement, where scientists will produce biologically active supplements based on the meadow herbs to enhance the health of the Ukrainians, Europeans and even Chinese.

The event was held at the initiative of the Zakarpattia Local Government Development Centre, established with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and MinRegion, as reported by the correspondent of Ukrinform.

“The Polyanska AH gained the glory and power of mineral water resorts well-known since the times of Austria-Hungary, which were well-promoted in Soviet times. Already in the years of independence dozens of hotel complexes were built here nearby the Soviet sanatoriums,” says Ivan Drohobetskyi, head of the Polyanska AH.

“Therefore, tourism now gives the hromada its basic income, which is, in fact, a personal income tax of almost UAH 10 million. It is also worth noting that the Polyanska AH provides a fourth part of the total tourist tax in the Zakarpattia Oblast – over the last year UAH 550 thousand were collected. Over the first half of this year the sum is already more than 250 thousand”.

In general, there are more than 70 hotels, sanatorium complexes and private mansions providing tourist services on the AH territory. Polyana is known primarily for its sanatorium complexes with mineral water. Though in recent years a lot of tourists have been coming here not for treatment, but namely to relax. Today, mineral water from the Polyana resort can be bought at any store in the country, and this is wrong, says the leadership of the AH.

“At the moment, we have no control over the extraction of mineral water from the wells, we get only the rent for the land of the first sanitary zone – this is about UAH 1000 per well. And those, who exploit the wells, earn millions on the output and distribution of Polyana water. This is wrong, and these positions need to be reconsidered,” Mt Drohobetskyi said. According to him, relevant applications from the Polyanska AH have already been sent to the Government and line departments, but they have not responded so far.

The Polyanska AH is not only thinking about how to attract and retain a tourist, but also how to develop in the future.

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