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Ivasenko A., Chala K.

National University of Food Technologies (Kiev, Ukraine)

Tourism Industry of Ukraine

 

Today the Ukrainian tourism industry confidently has entered the world tourist market. Tourism in Ukraine has been recognized and is an important economic factor. There is a good reason for this change.

Daily profit from one foreign tourist in Ukraine equals income from exporting nine tons of Ukrainian coal. A tourist sector of the economy serves as a major source of currency for 38% of countries in the world. It's all a matter of priorities and one that many countries in the world choose to emphasize.

In the present day we can see that things are beginning to change in the Ukraine's tourist industry. The Cabinet of Ministers and the President, adopted several important decrees on tourism, "The Program of Development of Tourism up to the year 2010" has already been launched. In October 1997, Ukraine became a Full Member of the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

The World Tourism Organization has placed Ukraine in the top 25 most visited countries in the world. Does Ukraine tourism really have what it takes to attract tourists? Yes, it truly has great potential.

There are many features that are advantageous to the development of Ukraine tourism:

·        Over 500 cities of Ukraine were founded more than 900 years ago, also 4,500 villages of Ukraine are more than 300 years old.

·        More than 150-thousand monuments of culture, history, and archeology reflect the remarkable history of the Ukrainian people. 80 % of the monuments of Kyivan Rus epoch (IX - XII centuries) are concentrated in the territory of Ukraine.

·        The excavations of ancient towns in Tira, Olviya, Chersonese, Panticapea dating from the 5th century B.C. as well as the magnificent fortresses built in the 14th-15th centuries by Italians from Genoa, are located in Crimea.

·        More than 600 museums introduce the most outstanding facts and personalities of Ukrainian history and culture.

·        Ukraine has excellent and diverse geography, climatic conditions, and scenic nature. Ukraine tourism operators consider the Carpathian mountains are a traditional place for skiing, mountaineering and kayaking.

·        Many regions of Ukraine have saved their ethnic originality. Tourists therefore have a great opportunity to get acquainted with national culture, songs, dances, and meals.

Ukraine tourism opportunities are not restricted to the traditional destinations. There are still many "special" places where you:

·        will find the unique combination of virgin nature and animal life. There are 33 National Parks, Biosphere and Nature Reserves in Ukraine. The most famous are "Shatskyi", "Karpatskyi".

·        can feel the spirit of the glorious battles and fearless warriors of the defensive fortresses of Kamyanets-Podilsky, Lutsk, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky, Uzhgorod, Mukacheve.

·        will touch harmony of nature and design at one of the most beautiful places, created by human hands, Dendrological park "Sofievka" which was given as "a very special gift" by the Polish count Potocky to his beautiful Greek wife Sofya, after whom the park owes its name.

·        All these places are interesting and have a lot to offer that will keep you excited and busy for long periods of time. Otherwise they wouldn't be that popular

·        Ukraine tourism attracts more than 15 million travelers every year. What are they looking for? Each of them has his/her plans and places of interest. But all of them will find some unspoiled spots in Ukrainian nature and culture which are still waiting to be discovered.

Rural tourism can be developed practically in all the regions of Ukraine, but the most prospective are the western regions in which up to sixty or seventy percent of the local population could be involved in it. On the one hand, such tourism will let people see and explore the beauties of the land, and on the other hand, it will promote mountain skiing and health-improvement centres and resorts. Also, such tourism will boost local initiative and will be a good incentive. The transport corridor Lisbon-Kyiv that will be created in the near future will provide a better access to the western regions of Ukraine both for the Kyivans and Western Europeans. It will be beneficial for the development of the Western Ukrainian tourist market.

Ukraine objectively has a huge tourism potential which unfortunately is not used very effectively. The reasons of this is a hard socio-economic situation in the country, not adjusted policy regarding to machinery of stimulating tourism industry, the lack of an effective strategy for the development of the industry at both the national and regional levels. The situation in the tourism sector in recent years requires the active search for ways to overcome the crisis and improve manufacturing tourism product with the required quality. Problems that can be observed at present in the field of tourism in Ukraine are the "inheritance" that remains to our country after the collapse of the Soviet. Therefore, these phenomena are quite deep, and their solution requires a comprehensive and thoughtful approach. Thus, the  production base of the industry was formed mainly (usual) in the time of Soviet Union, so among the infrastructure is dominated by large complexes with a significant concentration of seats and low level of service. The coordinated system of qualified and competent action to eliminate Ukraine's tourism product to the world market, which would give tangible results is absent.

References:

1.     Lepokhin Maksym., Modern development of tourism in Ukraine. Problems and prospects.

2.     Diachenok L. P. (2007) Ekonom³ka turistich­nogo b³znesu [Business Tourism Business]. K.: Centr navch. l³t-ry.

3.     Malska M. P., Hudo V. V. (2009) Turistichnij b³znes: teor³ia ³ praktika. [Tourism Business: Theory and Practice]. K.: Centr uchbovoi l³teratury, 2009.