Articles / Tourist Guide / Ukrainian Tourism / Ukrainian Tourism in Figures and Facts

Tourism in Ukraine is one of the most extensively developing branches in the economy of the state. During the times when Ukraine used to make up a part of the Soviet Union tourism was not even considered to be a branch of the state economy. Instead, tourism was referred to as a part of the so called service industries. Only several cities in Ukraine were open for the visitors from abroad, and precious few citizens of the Soviet Union itself were admitted to visiting foreign countries.

Since the proclamation of Independence in Ukraine in 1991 tourism has been officially pronounced a legitimate branch of the state economy. Nowadays the stability of the position of tourism in Ukraine cannot be doubted as the country's historical and cultural attractions, as well as fashionable resorts insure the permanent flow of visitors coming yearly and leaving satisfied. By the way, the development of tourism in Ukraine has much more benefits to it than just upbringing the country's popularity in the international tourism market: the per-day income received from a single tourist staying in Ukraine may be compared to that of 20.000 pounds of coal exported.  The major part of the state currency is supplied by the tourist industry; this statement is true for 38% of the countries all around the globe.

 
This progressive tendency of upgrading the tourism industry in Ukraine started long ago, and after the successful integration in the World Tourism Organization (WTO) the Ukrainian Government issued some important legislative decrees aimed at enhancing the recreative resources of the country in every possible way. One of such decrees is The State Program of Tourism Development that has been launched recently. The program is to be fully realized by the year 2010.

According to the listing of the World Tourism Organization, Ukraine occupies one of the top positions among the major tourist destinations of the world. Let's have a closer look at what makes Ukraine one of the most favourable places in the world for travelling and sightseeing. 

 
You will find a number of explicitly expressed viewpoints and facts pertaining to the tourist travel and the services connected with it regarded as an industry:
? More then five hundred cities of Ukraine can be referred to as places of historical interest with their history going back by nine centuries; more then for and a half thousand villages boast more than three centuries long history.
? Ukraine is commonly recognized as the cradle of Slavonic culture with over 80% of the historical heritage preserved from the times of Kyivan Russia in the Ukrainian territory. All of these monuments date back to the IX century CE. Alongside with the artefacts and places of interest connected with the history of Kyivan Russia Ukraine sports the total of 150 thousand of cultural, archeological and historical monuments that give a better insight into the backgrounds of the Ukrainian people and their lifestyles.
? The Crimean Peninsula is by no means the major destination for all the travellers visiting Ukraine with its internationally famed ancient cities of Tira, Olviya, Chersonese and Panticapea founded as early as the V century BCE as well as a multitude of XIV-XV centuries fortresses erected by the Italian architects from Genoa.
? A vast number of museums representing the flow of the Ukrainian history and its contribution to the world's culture as well as some astonishing and breathtaking thematic museum and art galleries representing multifaceted culture of the Ukrainian people, including the numerous personalia of the great names of the Ukrainian chronicles.
? All lovers of active sports may enjoy their stay in the luxurious hotels of the Crimea engaging into such exciting activities as mountaineering, mountain bicycling, rock climbing and diving encircled by the paradisiacal sceneries of the Ukrainian seaside at the Black Sea coast. In winter, it is the Carpathian Mountains that steal the limelights for the enticing multitude of pastime ways like skiing. Mountaineering and kayaking are also available in this part of the country.
? To experience the astonishing atmosphere of the indigenous Ukrainian settlement with all of its authentic primitive trade shops, ritual singing and dancing and cuisine tourists may plunge into the areas where all of these fascinating traditions are carefully kept to reincarnate the vibrant and mystical air of the auld-lang-syne past.