For Christmas, are you more in Norway, Djerba, Seychelles, Mexico or Ukraine? European tourists do not hesitate to stay in the kyiv region. Although we are hundreds of kilometers from the front, the capital is still attacked, almost daily, by Russian drones and missiles. In Ukraine, around ten companies offer this type of tour, a marginal but growing phenomenon. These circuits are part of “dark tourism”, the visit to places associated with tragic events.
Before the invasion, tens of thousands of people visited the Chernobyl zone each year, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, now closed to the public due to the war.
“Not a matter of money, but of memory”
War Tours, one of its agencies, claims to have supported around thirty clients since January, mainly European and American. Once there, they pay between 150 and 250 euros per tour. Part of the proceeds are donated to the army. The project is “not a matter of money, but of memory,” assures its co-founder, Dmytro Nykyforov.
Svitozar Moïsseïv, co-manager of Capital Tours kyiv – another company – confirms that profits are minimal. Showing the damage to strangers is, he says, “like a vaccine to prevent this from happening again.” These tourists aren’t just there to “take a selfie for Instagram,” he says.
More or less close to the front
These visits generally focus on kyiv and its suburbs, such as Irpine or Boutcha, sites of massacres of civilians attributed to Russia in spring 2022. Some companies, however, are moving closer to the front. One of the most sensationalist offers a multi-day tour of southern Ukraine, costing up to 3,300 euros.
These travelers could ultimately generate useful income for the localities. But Mykhaïlyna Skoryk-Chkarivska, local elected official of Irpine and former deputy mayor of Boutcha, notes that some residents see this as “bloodstained money” and do not always understand why foreigners come “to see our sorrow”. But according to her, these negative reactions are in the minority, because for many, this is all simply “part of the new reality” in Ukraine.
“A “Ukraine” brand stronger than ever”
Mariana Oleskiv, president of the National Agency for Tourism Development, recognizes that this type of travel poses “a lot of ethical questions”, but considers that demand is destined to increase. His agency is therefore preparing specific training for guides, and “memorial tours” in the kyiv region.
If the invasion had brought tourism to its knees, the sector should exceed its 2021 level this year, before the war but in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Mariana Oleskiv. It is mainly driven by local tourism, with Ukrainian men of fighting age generally not allowed to leave the country due to martial law.
Last year, Ukraine recorded 4 million entries of foreign visitors, according to Mariana Oleskiv. Twice as many as in 2022, but above all travelers coming for professional reasons. The country is also preparing for the post-war period, signing promotional agreements with groups like Airbnb or TripAdvisor. “The war shone the spotlight on Ukraine,” notes Mariana Oleskiv. “Our brand is therefore stronger, everyone knows our country. »
