Monday, 13.02.2012
The question of accommodation of Euro 2012 fans continues to evoke a wide response in Ukraine. In addition to the problem of overpriced hotels and hostel, of which we wrote before, the incidents of Internet fraud have appeared, i.e. the sale of places in non-existing camping sites to the football fans.
The offers to reserve a place in tent camp near Kharkov at the price of 30-40 EUROs per night appeared in the Net a week ago. But according to the Head of city department of preparations for Euro 2012 Alexander Nechiporenko, in the locations indicated in Internet advertisements the camping site cannot exist physically: "All these beautiful pictures on the web-sites are a real deception!"
At the present time the anti-cybercrime department is finding out who could have placed the unreliable information about tent camps, and also is looking for those who have already got scammed. The latter is quite a problematic, Kharkov law enforcement officials assert, because European Euro 2012 fans will hardly apply to them. "Probably we'll mange to find victims among the Ukrainians", - police officers hope.
At the same time Kharkov city authorities assure that they will try to help those foreign guests who have already become the victim of Internet swindlers. They will be accommodated in additional hotel and hostel rooms, specially equipped for the European championship.
As of today officially Kharkov prepares one camping site for Euro 2012 fans, located on the bank of a basin not far from the city core. The places are already booked there by fans of Netherlands national football team, which will play three matches in Kharkov as part of European football championship. "Creation of a camping site is a serious question. Netherlands team fans had come several times to sample the water, the ground and the air before they agreed to that place. And of course if the place of camping is agreed and the documents are signed, we will provide all the opportunities for electricity supply, composting toilets and so on", - Alexander Nechiporenko noted.
The tradition to support the favourite national football team in tent camps is also held up by fans of German and Danish national teams. Thus it's most probable that two more camping sites will appear in Kharkov in the near future. "German fans are thinking over. We have suggested several places for creation of camps at their choice. The Danes have also asked about possibility to make a camping site for two thousand people. But that's just prospects yet", - underlined Nechiporenko.
While one of the experts - the co-founder of "Monte Travel" tourist company Martin Roiter - advises the foreign Euro 2012 fans to weigh all pros and contras before choosing the tent camps for accommodation, moreover created by unknown persons. "The infrastructure doesn't exist as of today. It can be very uncomfortable", - Roiter underlines. To his opinion, it's better and safer to reserve the rooms at inexpensive hostels and hotels through reliable companies.
