Ukraine’s Tourism Chief Reflects on Resilience After a Year of War
Photo Credit: Ukraine's domestic tourism sector is slowly recovering. Skift / Neil van Niekerk
Skift Take
Russia's invasion continues to be a destructive force on Ukraine's tourism sector. The country, however, is steadfastly finding ways around it to grow and support areas that are far away from the conflict. It will be on these parts to support the the sector until Ukraine gets its territories back.
It’s been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The war has had ripple effects on the global tourism economy. Ukraine and its tourism sector have suffered immensely in lives, infrastructure and more, but after a year into the conflict, they are seeing some bright spots.
While international travel remains closed, Ukraine is seeing a gradual recovery in domestic travel, especially in its Western region. Domestic travel sits at 50 percent of its pre-pandemic level. The tourism agency is promoting travel internally and working with international tourism businesses to support its recovery.
In this conversation with Skift at ITB Berlin, Mariana Oleskiv, chairperson of State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, talks about what’s changed and hasn’t changed for Ukraine's tourism sector since the war started last year. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Skift: The war actually started in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. In
