Ukraine’s international tourism industry has been steadily developing, with international visitors bringing $2.27 billion to Ukraine in 2017.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a severe blow to the tourism sector.
On March 15, the Ukrainian government announced that it would close its borders to foreigners for a period of two weeks. This border closure ultimately lasted for three months, forcing the tourism and hospitality sectors into hibernation, or even collapse.
Now, with some restrictions lifted on international tourism, incoming tour agencies are starting to look ahead to the future. And some are offering tour packages that aim to help visitors overcome the remaining restrictions and adapt to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government supports the tourism revival in Ukraine, too. Just recently, it established a visa-free regime with six new countries. Ukraine now offers visa-free entry to 38 countries — including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand — and 27 member states of the European Union.
Hidden treasure of Europe
First established in Kigali, Rwanda, Satguru Travel has a presence in 75 countries, including in Ukraine, where it’s one of the key tourism industry players that caters to corporate and leisure excursions and welcomes parties from across the world.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was an unfortunate blow to the company, it has survived.
Satguru’s promotional materials promotes Ukraine as the “Hidden Treasure of Europe,” offering packages for international visitors to major Ukrainian cities, Ukraine’s “Seven Natural Wonders” and to Chornobyl, the site of the deadly 1986 nuclear disaster that remains, for better or worse, one of Ukraine’s calling cards.
Upendra Sharma, administrative director of Satguru Travel, says that his company has been fortunate to be able to resist this crisis. He has personally seen the impact of the crisis on his partners in hospitality and it isn’t pretty.
But unlike the hospitality sector, tour agents have been given little support from the government.
“We received no help in paying our salaries, our taxes… We are hopeful for government help regarding taxes in the future, but this help is mostly directed towards the hospitality sector,” Sharma said.
Satguru’s incoming tours effectively went into hibernation during the three-month border closure. But he is now cautiously hopeful for the future. The return of some corporate travel groups to Ukraine from “green countries” — where the COVID-19 situation is better or similar to Ukraine — has begun, albeit at reduced numbers.
“We are hopeful to begin our restart from October. This is all dependent on the second wave…” Sharma said. “Our partners have indicated that this will happen in the autumn. In this case, we would hope for a restart in April next year, maybe?”
Looking to the future, Sharma said his company plans to adapt their packages, to assure the safety of both their clients and tour operators. This includes new travel arrangements and higher levels of sanitation.
But despite the challenges his company has faced, Sharma rejects the notion that Ukraine has been a difficult market.
“Look, setting up a business in any new country poses difficulties,” he said. “We’ve been in this market for one year. Overall Ukraine has been accommodating and we hope to continue working in this market post COVID-19.”
New Chornobyl fallout
Chernobyl Tour, the largest private operator of tourist visits to the Chornobyl exclusion zone, relies heavily on foreign visitors.
“Before the quarantine, foreigners made up 90% of our tourists. These were people from the U.K, Germany, the U.S., Poland and other countries,” a company spokesperson told the Kyiv Post. “With the start of the lockdown, we lost this audience and most of our income.”
The company also laments its treatment by the government during the crisis. It says that quarantine has left it at odds with the authorities.
“During the quarantine, we faced severe restrictions from the authorities. They complicated a situation that was already difficult,” Chernobyl Tour stated.
Now, however, the company says it has a constructive dialogue with both the central and local authorities, who have agreed to meet Chernobyl Tour halfway on issues like preserving key sites in the exclusion zone.
The crisis is also pushing the company to get innovative. It has launched online tours of the exclusion zone and began several social projects. For example, the company started organizing an educational course called “Chernobyl Guide.” Graduates from this course now receive state certificates, meaning they can become guides in private and public companies.
Chernobyl Tour also began selling merchandise and souvenirs online.
Without these new ventures, the company would not have been able to survive. As a result, it is now trying to diversify — not cut back. Chernobyl Tour has announced it is launching new tours in kayaks and SHERPs, a type of all-terrain vehicle. It also plans bicycle tours in the future.
The company hopes to restore the flow of tourists by spring 2021, what seems to be an optimistic forecast. Still, having survived the economic crisis in 2014, the company is confident that it will weather this storm, too.
Fresh new faces
Launched in March 2020, just before the pandemic shut Ukraine’s external borders, TravelUkraine.today is a new face in the tour industry.
Born in the crisis, the company is offering a novel solution to visiting Ukraine at a time when many travelers are required to quarantine upon arrival. It is offering a service called Red-to-Green — a reference to the “red countries,” whose residents are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Ukraine.
Launched on July 15, the service aims to allow tourists traveling from “red” countries to take a medical test for COVID-19 in order to avoid quarantine. TravelUkraine.today will provide testing at a Ukrainian medical laboratory, accommodation in high-quality hotels and concierge services to incoming tourists.
While testing is now available at the airport for many passengers, TravelUkraine.today continues to facilitate foreign travelers’ accommodations and transfer services while they wait for confirmation they can exit self-isolation.
TravelUkraine.today was the first company to offer such a service. Its founder, Robert Markov, says that he came up with the idea for Red-to-Green while trying to invite friends from the U.K. to visit him in Ukraine.
“If they were interested in this, maybe someone else would be interested…” Markov told the Kyiv Post.
Makrov’s company had been significantly impacted by the decline in foreign tourists, so he launched this package to facilitate greater tourism in Ukraine.
“This service was most wanted right after Ukraine opened its borders, when nobody could understand how to (enter the country without quarantining),” he said. “We are happy that Ukraine is becoming more and more welcoming to international tourists. Yet a person or group of people still needs assistance with (testing at airports), we are happy to help.”
The Ukrainian government now allows for visitors to be tested 48 hours before their arrival, but there are many countries that do not offer private tests or where the cost of testing is too high. As a result, TravelUkraine.today’s service will continue to encourage new travellers from countries such as Germany or the U.K., where private testing is not readily available.
Markov ultimately hopes that his company can encourage tourists to purchase his regular tour packages in 2021, when people will be more confident that there are no health risks associated with travel.
“We continue to monitor the situation day-by-day and, when the EU moves Ukraine to the green lists, European tourists may decide to travel once again,” he said.
