“From the experience of the countries that have experienced the war we know that the number of tourists is increasing. I am sure that many people will want to visit the places that have become a symbol of the destruction caused by the Russian occupation: Irpin, Bucha, the island of the Snakes, Chornobaivka “. So to Adnkronos Mariana Oleksiv, head of the Ukrainian State Tourism Agency, who, looking at the overall picture of the sector, states: “To date, we know that in the first four months of 2022 an 18% tax was paid in the state budget fewer from the sector compared to the same period last year. This is just the tip of the iceberg, because usually the tourist season in Ukraine starts in June and lasts until October. The period of the greatest economic losses comes now “.
“The president’s office is drawing up the country’s reconstruction plan for the next 10 years. The plan includes the main branches of the economy and tourism. We have created a working group that is responsible for drawing up the definition of the main directions to restore the sector. We are planning – he specifies – how and what will be introduced in the country when the war is over. In which places to create memorials and paths of condolence, where to collect the destroyed military vehicles left by the Rashists, how to create a reminder what happens to the enemy when we defend our land “.
“For us it is important – he continues – to create these paths already now so that Ukrainians and foreigners, who in the meantime will visit Ukraine also for work reasons, can understand what has happened and can later tell our struggle and victory to their own. children and grandchildren. The task of the state tourism agency together with experts, historians, philosophers and architects is a culture in this regard “.
The head of the State Agency for Tourism therefore draws a general picture of the current summer tourist season in Ukraine. “This year the situation is not easy. Part of the tourist and recreational infrastructure is occupied, part is destroyed. Some hotels have been completely razed, others damaged. We are recording the losses in order to assess the damage and plan the reconstruction. According to preliminary data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure, 24,000 km of roads, 306 bridges, 6,000 km of railway roads, 11 airports have been damaged to date. Tour operators and tourism agents have also been affected. forced by the war to suspend their business for a few months “.
Foreign tourism is practically nil: “We can say that today the demand is very low. There are journalists, volunteers, representatives of international organizations who now work in Ukraine. Our tour operators provide them with a series of services to enter the country and find accommodation. But this is a drop in the bucket compared to the volumes they had last year “. On the other hand, attractive places such as “Askania Nova, the sands of Oleshky, Dzharylhach, the pink lakes, the hills of Stanislav, which have always been beloved, are today unreachable for Ukrainians due to the Russian occupation”. The situation on the domestic tourism front is more rosy: “It is gradually starting to recover – notes Oleksiv – The activity of tour operators specialized in travel to Ukraine have resumed 20-50% of activity compared to last year. Some have just started to work, others – he concludes – as early as May “.
(by Roberta Lanzara)
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