Kyiv Hospitality Program is welcoming guests

by Julia Ostromogilska 266 views

The Hospitality Program, aimed at assisting foreign guests and providing them with information, was launched by Kyivstar, the Ukrainian national mobile operator, which became the Official International Mobile Operator and the International Sponsor of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 on February, 26.

Kyivstar entered into an agreement with the European Broadcasting Union, which, according to its TV department director, Bjorn Erichsen, was signed after a careful selection and consideration, as the sponsorship of such an event as the ESC is �the question of high responsibility.” The company�s sponsor package amounts to 1 900 000 Euros.

The Hospitality Program was established, first of all, to support the people, who come to Kyiv for the first time and usually find themselves in a total information vacuum, not knowing the language or Cyrillic alphabet. The centre of the city is covered by the network of the information points � dark blue Kyivstar tents, where it is possible to consult the city map, to ask for the best way and means to get to the necessary destination, to find out the restaurants� addresses and the best clubs to have a party, to order a taxi and even to make a free phone call within Ukraine from the Kyivstar network. One of the information points can be found at the press-centre. The support is provided in different languages, as the people to work at the points were specially selected by the multi-language criterion. It is also possible to ask for any information by calling to 300 � the Kyivstar mobile information centre.

But the Hospitality Program is not only meant to be hospitable to guests, coming from abroad. For the Ukrainians, it is one more opportunity to feel themselves in the heart of Europe and to take part in the Contest organization. According to Ihor Lytovchenko, the President of Kyivstar, �the basic idea of “Eurovision” is a movement to the indivisible information and cultural area, which is the future not only for the European community, but for all humanity also.�

Kyivstar also launched a website, completely dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, which can be found at http://en.eurovision.kyivstar.net.