Ukraine’s advantageous geographic situation, mild climate, rich natural, historic, cultural, tourist and recreational potential combine to create conditions for meeting various educational, health-improvement and spiritual requirements of Ukrainian and foreign tourists. Ukraine, being situated close to the major tourist centres of Europe and Near East, with its population of more than 50 million people, is one of the most active tourist regions of Europe.

It is tourism which is being developed in Ukraine along the lines of market-oriented economy and turns out to be quite a profitable undertaking, beneficially effecting the related spheres of national economy and private business, both small and middle-sized, and creating new jobs, that will help get the country out of the economic crisis it finds itself in. The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Government have come to regard tourism as one of the priorities in the development of Ukraine’s economy. In 1993 the Ukraine’s Committee for Tourism was set up and now five years later thanks to this Committee’s efforts the tourist business has been brought to a stage that opens good chances for further stable development. Ahead of anything else, the Law of Ukraine On Tourism, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on the basis of Ukraine’s Constitution has contributed a lot to the development of tourism in Ukraine. Rules and regulations have been worked out to regulate the ways tourist services are provided (licences, certification, etc.)
A model of a sports and fitness centre, together with cultural and medical centres and top-class hotel for 300 beds in Yalta. Oreadna Hotel, the town of Yalta. The constraction site of the sports and fitness centre in Yalta (construction not completed).	A further stable development of the tourist industry must be well-planned and should continue on the long-term basis and Ukraine’s Committee for Tourism has worked out a programme of development of tourism in Ukraine up to the year 2005, plus a number of other regional programmes. It is planned to build and renovate 140 tourist facilities (international tourist centres, hotels, motels, camping sites, bus and car maintenance and repair centres, etc.) A stable development of tourism depends on having tourist facilities which meet the requirements of international standards. At present, there are 250 hotels, camping sites, tourist centres, privately, collectively and state-owned, functioning in Ukraine. They can accommodate up to 65,000 guests and feed 120,000 guests at their restaurants and cafeterias at a time; 3,500 cars and buses are available at these facilities to provide transportation. As a result of changes and restructuring of the tourist industry, new joint-stock companies have been created on the basis of the formerly state-owned companies; about 70 % of all tourist companies are in collective ownership. There are about 3,000 tourist companies, operating in Ukraine and holding licences from the Derzhkomturizm (State Committee for Tourism). It is vitally important to continue to invest into the development of the tourist facilities of Ukraine. International co-operation in this sphere is of great importance as well. Ukraine is interested in getting investments into the development of the tourist industry. Ukraine’s tourist potential is very big and it is growing. Since 1992 the number of foreign tourists has increased 16 times and reached about two million people (statistical data as of January 1, 1998). The number of Ukrainian tourists has grown 2.5 times (up to 4.6 mln people) and that of excursionists — 5 times (up to 10 mln people). 3.5 million citizens of Ukraine have travelled abroad. Now Ukraine’s tourist facilities can accommodate up to 20,000 foreign tourists daily, in other words anywhere from 7 to 10 million foreign tourists can come to Ukraine annually. The number of people working in the tourist industry is 60,000; over 500 of them are qualified guides fluent in foreign languages. In spite of the growing unemployment, it is believed that about 1,5 million jobs will be created in the tourist industry. Ukraine remains to be active in entering the world’s tourist market. Ukraine is a full member of the International Tourist Organisation, of the Black Sea Economic Co-Operation and of the Central European Initiative.
International co-operation with many countries in the sphere of tourism is growing. Ukraine regularly takes part in international exhibitions and fairs. 150 tourist companies from 39 countries of the world took part in a major tourist fair that was held in Kyiv last year. The fifth international fair to be held in Kyiv is planned for October, 1998. Ukraine is a mid-sized country very advantageously situated right in the centre of Europe. It borders on many countries and has access to the sea. It has a developed network of railroads, highways, air connections, river and sea ports. It is difficult to overestimate the richness of its natural and cultural potential.

The most popular tourist areas are: the Crimea; the Black Sea coasts; Prydnistrovya; Podillya; Volyn’; the cities of Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv. They are ecologically clean areas where considerable natural, historic and cultural resources are concentrated and thus have a potentially great future for tourist development. Provided they have enough investments and efficient organisational framework, they can be turned into major tourist centres with considerable long-term economic results.
Ukraine belongs to the group of countries which widely use their natural resources. There are about 6,000 places in Ukraine, with a total area of 980,000 hectares (one hectare is 2.5 acres), which are kept and protected as natural preserves; among them the most important are: the Carpathian Bio Preserve; the Carpathian National Park; the Shatsky National Park; the Synevir National Park; the Ascania Nova Preserve.
There are about 200,000 architectural landmarks, historical and cultural monuments, palaces, parks and archaeological sites under state protection, and over 300 museums in Ukraine. There have been created seven historical and cultural preserves in various parts of Ukraine. 80 percent of the monuments dating to the 9th-12th centuries, that is to the times of Kyivan-Rus — Ukraine (the then state extended over a large territory which is part of today’s Russia, Belorus and Ukraine) are situated within the boundaries of the present-day Ukraine. The best known of them are: the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery and St. Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv which are entered in the UNESCO registers of the most important monuments of the world. Some of the categories of tourists may find it interesting to visit places connected with the life and work of Ukraine’s prominent personalities in literature, philosophy, liberal arts and science: Hryhory Skovoroda, Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrayinka and others. A visitor to Ukraine can enjoy Ukrainian folk shows, singing and dancing, can try dishes of national cuisine.
A care is taken in Ukraine to maintain and restore architectural landmarks, historical and cultural monuments. With the aim of preserving them and using them in the most efficient manner, and for the purposes of directing tourism to the areas of the greatest concentration of these monuments, extending over 12 oblast’s of Ukraine, Kyiv including, which are situated along the Dnipro River, a system of tourist itineraries has been worked out that will take tourists to various places; for different categories of tourists there is a different emphasis chosen to show historical and cultural monuments to the best advantage (the Great Silk Route; Culture of Kyivan Rus; Ukrainian Cossacks; Ukrainian National Traditions and Folk Art; Parks and Preserves). The interests of tourists of all ages are taken into account. Hunters and anglers will be able to come to hunt and fish, those with health problems will be able to have their health improved. The general title of these tourist programmes is the Slavutych Necklace. (Slavutych being an old name of the Dnipro). Foreign investments and general assistance could be of a great help in maintenance and restoration of the historical and cultural monuments which, in its turn, would contribute to the development of tourism in Ukraine.
Successes in the development of tourism and its profitability to a large extent depend on the state of the environment. Regarded from this point of view, tourism may be considered to a model of a ecologically-oriented branch of industry.
Resources for the development of ecotourism are available in Ukraine. It has been estimated, on the basis of study of natural conditions and capacities, that 48.5 million people could be travelling and visiting various places in Ukraine at the same time without irreparable harm being done to the environment. But if one looks at it realistically, the actual figure is much smaller and is probably about 8.5 million people. Anyway, there is still enough room for growth.
On the basis of research 1.3 million hectares of land have been reserved for developing tourist and rest centres, but the actual land potentially available for tourist purposes is about 9.4 million hectares. They are one of the most important resources that can contribute to the development of tourism.
The future of Ukrainian tourism is linked with its ecological orientation. Ukraine is open for international co-operation. Work along the ecological lines will contribute to Ukraine’s becoming one of the European centres of ecologically-oriented tourism.
Taking into consideration the potential of the tourist business, its high cost effectiveness, we invite foreign partners to co-operation in building up the infrastructure of tourism in Ukraine. It is for this purpose investment projects and proposals have been worked out for every region of Ukraine. Some of them are listed below.

Yury Shumeyko,
Deputy Head of the State Committee
for Tourism of Ukraine