A new white paper exploring the impact of the war in Ukraine on local tourism businesses, and potential solutions, has been published.
The report – which takes a long-term view and a solutions-based approach to supporting affected tourism businesses in Ukraine and surrounding countries – aims to provide the global travel industry and travellers with a deeper understanding of the issues and impact of the war on local providers.
These are often small, family-run and independent enterprises.
It also offers advice on practical actions anyone in the tourism industry can take to help address these challenges.
Whilst Ukraine remains the focus of the white paper, it also addresses the devastation on tourism in the surrounding countries such as Poland, Moldova and Slovakia which are already losing income because of a reduction in visitor numbers and housing refugees.
The white paper was put together by a task force comprising international organisations and experts from the region and was published as part of World Refugee Week.
The task force included the State Agency for Tourism Development for Ukraine, Chernobyl Tours, the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, National Inbound and Domestic Tourism Association of Moldova, the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Intrepid Travel.
The paper is targeted at five core groups – tourism businesses, industry associations, travel media and content creators, universities and educational organisations, and travellers themselves.
It has a focus on expected long-term consequences on the tourism sector and a Master List of Actions relevant for everyone involved in tourism, followed by specific recommendations for each industry segment.
“A new dawn will come, and when it does we need to be prepared. For that, we need your kind words, your professional advice, and your experience in the development of tourism,” said Mariana Oleskiv, Chair of the State Agency for Tourism Development in Ukraine.
“Ukraine will be reborn and become a new big market, with new opportunities for investment, travel, unique experiences and emotions,” she said.
Commenting on the value and importance of this piece of work, Natalia Turcanu, Executive Director at the National Inbound and Domestic Tourism Association of Moldova, said: “We are calling for mutual support initiatives for the fragile tourism industry in Moldova, Ukraine and the region following the pandemic and the war-related insecurity circumstances, as tourism is that one sector celebrating the diversity of nations as a form of inclusion. It is also the cross-country partnership that could bring the culture and heritage of Eastern Europe closer to the rest of the world.”
