Travel company wants tourists to visit Ukraine amid war

Visiting Ukraine now to experience what it’s like to live in the middle of a war, see its cities bombed, feel the danger, and meet its fighters is probably not on anyone’s travel bucket list.

But six months after Russia invaded the country, unleashing a wave of death and destruction, an organization is inviting tourists to visit the country.

The online platform Visit Ukraine.Today last month launched guided tours of the so-called “Brave Cities” that have challenged and continue to resist Russian invaders, offering travelers a glimpse into how the country lives in the midst of conflict.

“Embark on a journey to incredible Ukraine right now,” implores the tour company’s website.

Despite international warnings against travel to Ukraine, the company says it has so far sold 150 tickets, while its website, which offers information on safe travel to and from Ukraine, receives around 1.5 million hits a month, an increase of 50% in relation to the numbers before the invasion.

The company says anyone who signs up for the tours can expect walks amid bomb wreckage, dilapidated buildings, cathedrals and stadiums, as well as burned-out military equipment, in addition to the regular sounding of air raid sirens. Landmines are also a risk.

While it may seem like a macabre way to spend a vacation, Visit Ukraine founder and CEO Anton Taranenko told CNN that this is not the same as “dark tourism”, which encourages visiting groups to tour places where death, disaster and destruction have occurred around the world.

Taranenko says the tours represent a chance for Ukraine to highlight its citizens’ spirit of resistance, as well as show the outside world that life goes on, even in a war.

‘Living life no matter what’

“It’s not just about the bombs, what’s happening in Ukraine today is also about how people are learning to live with the war, helping each other,” he says. “There is real change, a new spirit among the communities.

“Perhaps across the street, where a bomb has recently dropped, you see friends eating good traditional food in a bistro that has reopened. We were happy for a few moments, it’s not just the bad and sad things you see on TV. Life goes on and there is hope that soon all this will end.

“Children are growing up, we try to live life as much as possible, no matter what.”

The US State Department currently has a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning against travel to Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. The department insists that all US citizens leave the country immediately and warns that following the suspension of operations at its Kiev embassy, ​​no consular assistance can be offered.

Similar alerts were issued by other countries. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office warns that there is a “real risk to life” from attacks on cities and regions.

However, Taranenko is asking people to visit. “If you want to see our cities destroyed and brave people fighting, come now,” he says.

But, he adds, visitors should be aware that nowhere in Ukraine is 100% safe, although having a guide helps mitigate the danger.

“We regularly check the situation so that we can monitor the different levels of security,” he says, noting that many Ukrainians have already returned to the areas from which they initially fled, mainly the capital Kiev, due to the invasion.

“Ukraine is taking itself again, people are returning to cities, municipalities are starting to rebuild, cities are recovering from the horrors and there are a million foreigners in the country. Kiev is now the most visitable and safe place,” says Taranenko.

Discovering the country, he adds, means looking into the eyes of Ukrainians whose lives have changed forever but who live in the hope of victory.

Visit Ukraine was esteemed by the government for its work in supporting the war-torn country’s decimated tourism industry and providing information to help arriving and departing citizens. But there is no official approval for its current effort to incentivize visitors.

“Now is not the appropriate time to visit, but after we win and the war is over, we will invite people to visit Ukraine,” Mariana Oleskiv, president of Ukraine’s State Agency for the Development of Tourism, told CNN .

“On the state level, we want Ukraine to be open to tourism, but for that we need more weapons, we need to win and stop the war. Our official stance is: visit Ukraine when it is safe to visit, maybe it will be possible to do so next year, I hope.”

Oleskiv said domestic tourism had really restarted in Ukraine, reaching up to 50% of pre-war levels despite fighting, but it was too early and too risky for foreigners to come. She suggested that tours could be purchased as a way of supporting the tourism industry.

‘How to get lucky’

Although martial law has been introduced in Ukraine and air traffic has been suspended, Taranenko says foreign visitors can still easily enter and leave by land, passing through the country’s eastern checkpoints with Europe.

While travel is possible, independent travel safety experts caution against it.

Charlie McGrath, owner of Objective Travel Safety, a UK-based company that trains people for war zones, says even areas of Ukraine that seem safe can pose a real risk.

“I would say to be extremely cautious given the ongoing Russian random attacks,” he told CNN . “While the far west of Ukraine is relatively safe and life seems to go on, the southeast is much more dangerous. It would be like drawing lots.”

He says visitors need reassurance about the protection they will be offered on tours and what happens if they are injured or their guide is killed. There are also questions about which hospitals and local resources would be involved.

“I would recommend not doing this,” he adds.

Taranenko says that regardless of the risks, there is an appetite to visit Ukraine. Of the 150 tickets sold so far, 15 have gone to Americans, he says.

Tours will be limited to groups of 10 people. Participants will meet their guide at the meeting points and will be prepared on what to do if a critical situation arises – such as where to find shelter if air raid sirens sound.

“Having a guide who knows the place and knows exactly which direction to take is a guarantee,” he says. “If you venture out on your own 10 meters to the left or 10 meters to the right, you could end up in a mine or a bomb.

“For example, in the Bucha area there are forests with bombs still activated that could explode at any moment.”

‘Normal life’

Day tours last 3-4 hours but can be expanded based on requests. The company says that proceeds from all ticket sales go to support war refugees.

Oleksii Vlasenko, 32, a business travel entrepreneur based in Kiev, told CNN who participated in one of the tours in July, visiting several cities damaged by the conflict. He said that while he did not face any apparent danger during the journey, there was an inherent danger.

“Of course, there is always a risk as the war continues, but I think now it is different,” he said. “People are interested in traveling to see post-war destruction. However, I would not recommend the tour for women and children, but for young men, why not?”

“In Kiev, Lviv, Bucha, Irpin, there is normal life now back, despite the bomb alarms every day, there are no occupying Russian soldiers anymore.”

Among the tours offered is a collection entitled “Brave Cities”, which includes destinations such as “the strong and invincible Bucha and Irpin” – two locations near Kiev that were brutally targeted by Russia in the early days of the war. invasion.

The highlights feel like a look back at some of the worst headlines of the conflict, with trips to bombed residential areas and damaged cultural treasures.

Other city tours include “the persistent and resilient Sumy”, “Kiev in a day”, “Lviv sightseeing tour” and “Odessa – a pearl by the sea”.

Some areas such as Mariupol and Mykolaiv, under Russian control or still under sustained attack by Russian forces, remain off-limits for excursions.

But Taraneko is optimistic that he will invite visitors there next year, when he says the war will end.