Ukraine is preparing to restore tourism after the war

On the eve of the largest tourism exhibition ITB in Berlin, the head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Tourism Development, Mariana Oleskiv, spoke about plans to restore the tourism industry after the war with Russia. She emphasized that Ukrainians welcome all guests who do not come with weapons.

Now Ukraine is striving to create a new image, not only as an object for sympathy and assistance but also as an interesting tourist destination. This is what Mariana Oleskiv told Іndependent.

"People think of Ukraine as bravery, war, and destruction. So they see a picture of Ukraine looking like Mariupol, for example. We have many cities that look like that, but it is about 20 or 30 percent of the territory that is occupied. The rest is normal. It is very beautiful here. We have a good infrastructure, we have very good hotels, good service, Internet coverage," emphasizes Ms. Oleskiv.

Although the war is not yet over, Ukraine is already preparing for the resumption of tourism and developing a concrete plan of action once the skies open.

"We don't know when. We don't know if it will be this year, or next year, or in two years. We have this time to prepare, and to have plans – even if they are postponed for now. But we know how to act from the moment Ukrainian borders and Ukrainian skies reopen," added the head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Tourism Development.

The Chornobyl exclusion zone will be closed to extreme visitors for some time as it is now mined. This was done to prevent the Russian army from re-entering the area, as it will in 2022.

Restoring tourism will be an important part of the country's post-war reconstruction. Luckily, Ukraine does have a lot to offer in the way of entertainment and incredible scenery. Prices for vacations in the Carpathians or historic cities are often much lower than in populist tourist destinations in the EU.

In addition, Ukraine is rich in cultural and architectural centers that are interesting to see up close, and Ukrainian cuisine is known all over the world.

As TravelWise previously reported, the EU countries have agreed on a new project of the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T. Ukraine is planned to be added to the transportation corridor.