Tourism in Ukraine

Tourism in Ukraine
Most Visited Cities in Ukraine
Kyiv
Lviv
Odesa

Ukraine used to attract more than 20 million foreign citizens every year (23 million in 2012). But since 2014 this has lowered to about 10 million. Visitors primarily come from Eastern Europe, but also from Western Europe, as well as Turkey and Israel.^[1]

Before the

Central Ukraine

Main cities

• Dnipro
  . Ancient churches, broad boulevards, beautiful landscapes and a variety of cultural facilities make it fascinating destination.
• Chernihiv – ancient city of Kyivan Rus, one of the oldest cities in Ukraine, has lots of Medieval architecture. Some of the oldest human settlements in Europe have also been discovered in the area.
• Pereiaslav – "living museum", one of the biggest History and Ethnography Reserve in Ukraine. There are over 20 different museums, city hosts various exhibitions and fairs.
• Podillia. In Vinnytsia there is the largest floating fountain in Europe, built in the river Southern Bug
  near Festivalny Isle.
• Sumy – city's history started in the mid-17th century.

Western Ukraine

• Lviv – old city in the west of country, with its medieval old town and unique architecture with Polish and Austrian influences. The top tourist destination in Ukraine, when it comes to architecture and culture.
• Ivano-Frankivsk – western Ukrainian city that was recognized as the best city to live in Ukraine.^[8]
• Balkan
  atmosphere and fine classical Habsburg architecture in Central-European style, as it was part of Austrian empire (prior to 1918).
• Carpathian
  Mountains.
• Mukachevo
• Kamianets-Podilskyi – a historic city surrounded by the Smotrych River canyon. It is well known for its castle.
• Ternopil
• Lutsk
• Drohobych

Eastern Ukraine

• Kharkiv – city's history started in the mid-17th century, when the Cossacks created the Sloboda settlements; and since then, the city has turned into one of the largest commercial, cultural and educational centers in Ukraine with a population of over 1.7 million people. From December 1919 to June 1934, Kharkiv was the capital of Soviet Ukraine. The Ukrainian cultural renaissance commenced here in the years 1920–1930.
• Sviatohirsk and Bakhmut
• Donetsk
• Luhansk

Southern Ukraine

• Ukrainian culture
  . Odesa is Black Sea resort and the largest trading center of Ukraine.
• Khortytsia island, DniproHES
  and "Sotsgorod" (Socialist city).
• Izmail – a historic town near the Danube river in Odesa Oblast of south-western Ukraine.
• Crimean Southern Coast (Crimean Riviera) - a coastline of Yalta and Alushta municipalities (currently under administration of the Russian Federation)
• Sevastopol (currently under administration of the Russian Federation)
• Bakhchysarai – the traditional capital of Crimean Tatars (currently under administration of the Russian Federation).

Landscapes

• Carpathian Mountains – impressive mountain landscapes with skiing and hiking possibilities, spas with cold and hot springs. Ski resorts include Bukovel, Slavske, Verkhovyna, Vorokhta.
• Hoverla – the highest mountain in Ukraine. Hiking.
• Azov coast – bathing resorts.
• Dnieper – cruises.
• Dniester – canoeing, boat sailing.
• Shatsk lakes
  – bathing, camping, hiking.
• Sofiyivka Park, located in Uman.
• Waterfalls of Ukraine – ecotourism.

• 
  Rainbow over the Carpathian Mountains
• 
  The

  rhododendrons at the Chornohora

  valley
• 
  Dniester Canyon National Nature Park near Chervona mountain
• 
  Dzharylhach National Nature Park, Kherson Oblast
• 
  Village in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
• 
  At the top of Hoverla in winter
• 
  Bukovel - is the largest ski resort in Eastern Europe and Ukraine
• 
  Carpathian Biosphere Reserve in Zakarpattia Oblast
• 
  Buky Canyon in the Cherkasy Oblast

Seven Wonders of Ukraine

The Seven Wonders of Ukraine are the seven historical and cultural monuments of Ukraine, which were chosen in the Seven Wonders of Ukraine contest held in July 2007.

• Sofiyivka Park in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast
• Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves)
• Kamianets-Podilskyi Historical Complex in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast
• Khortytsia in Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast
• Chersonesus in Sevastopol
• Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv
• Khotyn Fortress in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast

Seven natural wonders of Ukraine

Winners of all Ukraine competition

• Askania-Nova near Askania-Nova, Kherson Oblast
• Granite-steppe lands of Buh in Mykolaiv Oblast
• Dniester Canyon, Dnister
• Marble Cave (Crimea)
• Podillian Tovtry in Khmelnytskyi Oblast
• Lake Svitiaz, part of a group of lakes near Shatsk, Volyn Oblast
• Lake Synevyr near village of Synevyrska Poliana in Carpathian Mountains

Recognized World Heritage sites

• Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
• L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre (Old Town, Pidzamche and St. George's Cathedral)
• Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Chernivtsi
• Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora in Sevastopol
• Segments of the Struve Geodetic Arc (at Staro-Nekrasivka, Baranivka, Felshtyn, and Katerynivka)
• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests in Ukrainian Carpathians, Roztochchia and Satanivska Dacha.
• Wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian Region
• The Historic Centre of Odesa

Medical tourism

Lately many modern dental clinics with high quality dentistry equipment and high quality materials have been established in Ukraine. They provide patients with high quality dentistry services for prices much cheaper in comparison with Western and Russian clinics. Many tourists from United States,

Other popular sorts of medical tourism in Ukraine are spas, eye and plastic surgery, hair transplants, and mud baths.

Truskavets and Myrhorod are well known for their mineral springs.

Religious tourism

In recent years a variety of festivals emerged in major Ukrainian cities. Among the most popular are international jazz festival in Lviv, street food festival in Kyiv, various summer festivals in Odesa—a popular tourist destination in summer. Many of these festivals take place in former industrial buildings of the Soviet era and are thus helping to rejuvenate these areas.

Trade fairs

Governing body of tourist industry and its chairs

• Main Directorate of Foreign Tourism (at the Government of the Ukrainian SSR and part of the Soviet Goskominturist)
  • 1964–74 Yosyp Zatyahan
  • 1974–89 Viktor Dobrotvor
• Ukrintur Association
  • 1989–93 Volodymyr Skrynnyk
• State Committee of Ukraine on tourism
  • 1993–96 Volodymyr Skrynnyk
  • 1997–98
    Anatoliy Kasianenko
  • 1998–2000 Valeriy Tsybukh
• State Department of Tourism (State Committee of Youth Policy, Sport and Tourism)
  • 2001–02 Anatoliy Matviyenko
• State Tourist Administration of Ukraine
  • 2002–05 Valeriy Tsybukh
• State Service of Tourism and Resorts (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)
  • 2005–06 Ihor Prystavskyi
  • 2006–10 Anatoliy Pakhlya
• State Agency of Ukraine on Tourism and Resorts (Ministry of Infrastructure)
  • 2011–14 Olena Shapovalova
• Department (Directorate) of Tourism and Resorts (Ministry of Economic Development and Trade)
  • 2016–17 Ivan Liptuha
  • 2018–2019 Oksana Serdyuk
• State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine (Ministry of Сulture and Іnformation Policy of Ukraine)
  • 2019–present Mariana Oleskiv

Foreign travel statistics

Most visitors arriving in Ukraine were from the following countries of nationality:^[9]

Country	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013
Moldova	4,435,664	4,296,409	4,393,528	4,368,355	5,417,966
Belarus	2,727,645	1,822,261	1,891,518	1,592,935	3,353,652
Russia	1,464,764	1,473,633	1,231,035	2,362,982	10,284,782
Poland	1,144,249	1,195,163	1,156,011	1,123,945	1,259,209
Hungary	1,058,970	1,269,653	1,070,035	874,184	771,038
Romania	791,116	774,585	763,228	584,774	877,234
Slovakia	366,249	410,508	412,519	416,158	424,306
Turkey	270,695	199,618	140,691	116,302	151,706
Israel	261,486	216,638	149,386	101,799	120,913
Germany	209,447	171,118	154,498	131,244	253,318
Other countries	1,499,357	1,503,510	1,065,837	1,038,829	1,757,103
Total	14,229,642	13,333,096	12,428,286	12,711,507	24,671,227

Number of foreign citizens visiting Ukraine (from 2014, excluding Crimea)

Statistics are based on data from the State Statistics Agency of Ukraine.^[10]

• 2000: 6.4 million^[10]
• 2001: 9.2 million^[10]
• 2002: 10.5 million^[10]
• 2003: 12.5 million^[10]
• 2004: 15.6 million^[10]
• 2005: 17.6 million^[10]
• 2006: 18.9 million^[10]
• 2007: 23.1 million^[10]
• 2008: 25.4 million^[10]
• 2009: 20.8 million^[10]
• 2010: 21.2 million^[10]
• 2011: 21.4 million^[10]
• 2012: 23.0 million^[10]
• 2013: 24.7 million^[10]
• 2014: 12.7 million^[10]
• 2015: 12.4 million^[10]
• 2016: 13.3 million^[10]
• 2017: 14.2 million^[10]

Gallery

• 
  Palanok Castle in Mukachevo
• 
  Svirzh Castle in Lviv Oblast
• 
  The famous Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater
• 
  Arcadia Beach in Odesa
• 
  Restaurants in Ukraine are very affordable for foreign tourists.
• 
  Berehove - a small town in Western Ukraine
• 
  Residence of the Metropolitans in Chernivtsi
• 
  Schoenborn Castle-Palace in Zakarpattia Oblast
• 
  Mukachevo Town Hall
• 
  Centre of Kamianets-Podilskyi
• 
  Gate tower of Lubart's Castle in Lutsk
• 
  Trinity Cathedral in Sumy
• 
  Multimedia Fountain Roshen in Vinnytsia, the largest floating fountain in Europe
• 
  Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernihiv
• 
  Khan's Palace in Bakhchysarai, Crimea
• 
  All Saints Scete of Sviatohirsk Lavra in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast
• 
  Central Park, one of the most visited attractions in Kharkiv
• 
  Valley of Narcissus in Zakarpattia Oblast
• 
  Lake Synevyr in Synevyr National Nature Park
• 
  Common tern on Bilosaray Spit, Sea of Azov
• 
  Askania-Nova biosphere reserve in Kherson Oblast, located within the dry Taurida steppe.
• 
  Oleshky Sands, the second-largest desert in Europe
• 
  Tunnel of Love
• 
  Holosiiv National Nature Park, Kyiv

See also

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ukraine.

• Official Tourism Portal in Ukraine

• Ukraine travel and tourism at
  Curlie