2.5 million tourists visited Lviv during 2019 from over 150 countries around the world. The Poles (18.3%), Belarusians (6.6%), Germans (5.4%), Turks (6.2%), and Americans (2.5%) remained traditional visitors for us. There was an unexpected doubling of tourists from the United Kingdom, reaching 3%, and for the first time in recent years, Austrians and French entered the TOP-10 visitor countries, each accounting for 1%.
The city's budget revenue from the tourism industry has increased by 30% and amounts to 198 million UAH, of which the tourist tax has nearly doubled, reaching 10 million UAH. One of the factors contributing to such rapid growth was the change in the methodology of collecting the tourist tax in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Amending the Tax Code of Ukraine and Certain Other Legislative Acts of Ukraine to Improve Administration and Review Rates of Certain Taxes and Fees." The tax is now set as a percentage of the minimum wage, depending on the cost of temporary accommodation per day.
Additionally, the expenses of a tourist per day have increased by 20 euros, reaching a total of 94 euros. Important influencing factors here have been inflation in Ukraine and the strengthening of the national currency.
For the second year, we measure the loyalty of tourists to the city and the level of emotional impact with which they return home. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) has increased by 17% and in 2019 stands at +91% (with a possible range from -100% to +100%). This indicator is an important tool for measuring the favorability of tourists and indicates their active recommendations to their friends and family to visit Lviv and return themselves. It is worth noting that for several years now, half of the guests in our city are those who return again and again.
Traditionally, almost half of the tourists to Lviv arrive by train (46%). However, with the opening of new flights and increased flight frequencies, an increasing number of visitors prefer airplanes (31%), and there is a decrease in demand for bus transportation (-4%).
Among accommodation establishments, hostels (31%) and rented apartments (30%) are gaining popularity. The percentage of people willing to stay in hotels decreases each year and this year it accounted for 29%.
Tourists choose Lviv as a city for leisure and entertainment, delicious cuisine, and historical architecture (84%). Additionally, it is a city that preserves Ukrainian traditions and family values. Perhaps that is why only 20% of visitors travel independently.
Among the alternative cities considered when planning a trip, the majority of Ukrainians specifically chose Lviv, while foreigners also considered the possibility of visiting Kyiv. It is worth noting that based on marketing research of tourists, Lviv's main competitors are indeed European cities such as Prague, Krakow, or Vienna. Interestingly, the alternative cities for travel are similar for both domestic and international tourists.
One-third of travelers combine Lviv with other Ukrainian cities, while approximately 8% combine it with European destinations. And here's what tourists like the most about Lviv (only in UKR).
The City's Tourist Attractiveness Index remains consistently high at 4.8, while the Tourist Satisfaction Index stands at 4.4 (out of a possible 5 points).
Furthermore, 95% of our city's guests would recommend visiting Lviv and experiencing its atmosphere of grandeur and coziness to their relatives and friends. This is a record-breaking indicator over 10 years of research.
Let's recall that the survey is conducted on behalf of the Lviv City Tourism Development Center using the face-to-face (f2f) method. Over 2,000 respondents participated in the survey during 2019.
