Tour Company Invites Travelers To Experience Walking Tours In Ukraine

Right at this moment, Ukraine is unlikely to be on any travelers’ bucket list. Since February 24, 2022, the country has been under constant bombardment by Russia, with many people dead or displaced. Despite this, while the war rages on, one tourism organization wants travelers to visit, right now.

Visit Ukraine offers walking tours

By the look of its homepage, Visit Ukraine changed from a tourism website to one offering 24/7 information about the current situation. It is now an information portal where every Ukrainian and foreign citizen can get necessary information about the country.

However, the home page also offers links to rules for a safe visit to Ukraine. Tips are offered for crossing the Ukrainian border with a help center and hotline support at any time. The website even offers insurance to visit the war-torn country.

It seems that now the website is going a step further. In fact, Visit Ukraine has launched a series of guided day tours of what they dub the “Brave Cities” that are resisting Russian invasion. While most countries would discourage their citizens to travel to Ukraine, the tours offer travelers a chance to see how the country is handling the conflict.

Walking tours of the ‘Brave Cities’

As noted on the Visit Ukraine website, they are offering a selection of walking tours. In fact, they invite you to, “Set off on a journey to awesome Ukraine right now.” Meanwhile, according to CNN Travel, people are taking them up on the offer.

Reportedly, the company has already sold 150 tickets for the new tour and currently, the website receives 1.5 million visits each month. Apparently, this is up 50 percent since before the invasion by Russia.

What do the Visit Ukraine tours offer?

Visit Ukraine describes the Brave Cities tours as visiting destinations like “strong and invincible Bucha and Irpin.” Both of these cities suffered horrific attacks by the Russians early in the invasion.

The tours take groups of 10 people and last for three to four hours. Meanwhile, participants walk through bomb sites, where buildings, houses, stadiums and cathedrals have been reduced to rubble. It’s good to note that areas that are currently under attack or controlled by Russia are not included in the tours.

While the experience seems daunting and grim, Visit Ukraine CEO Anton Taranenko explains more about the tours. He says they are about much more than brutal destruction. Talking to CNN Travel, Taranenko said:

It’s not only about the bombs, what’s happening today in Ukraine is also about how people are learning to co-live with the war, help each other.

According to Anton, the tours give his country the chance to show how strong its people are, adding:

Maybe across the street from where a bomb recently struck you’ll see friends eating nice traditional food at a reopened bistro.

There are not just the bad and sad things as seen on TV. Life goes on and there’s hope that soon all this will be over.

 

Countries advise their citizens to stay away from Ukraine

Dozens of countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK have given “Do not travel” warnings against visiting Ukraine. Meanwhile, some warn travelers that Ukraine’s airspace is closed. Meanwhile, land border crossings are open, but with significant delays, so travelers are warned to take plenty of food and water with them.

Despite the warnings, Taranenko is adamant that now is the time for people to visit. He does, however, warn that it is risky, but is possible and is safer with a tour guide. His next words are daunting indeed when he says:

If you venture on your own 10 meters on the left, or 10 meters on the right, you might end up on a mine or bomb.

Meanwhile, with a knowledgeable guide who knows the areas, knowing which way to go is guaranteed. Moreover, Taranenko pointed out that many of the evacuated cities are well on the way to rebuilding. He said Ukraine is rising again and people are coming back to the cities.

Meanwhile, municipalities are starting to rebuild, while cities are recovering from the horrors of war. In fact, he said that are “one million foreigners in the country right now,” adding that Kyiv is now the most “visitable and safest place” to go to.

Official tourism organization says now is not the time

Ukraine’s official tourism organization, the State Agency for Tourism Development, said now is not the right time to promote tours. Speaking to CNN, its chairperson Mariana Oleskiv said, “After we win and the war is over, we will invite people to visit Ukraine,” adding:

Our official position is visit Ukraine when it will be safe to visit, maybe possible to do it next year, I hope.

Readers, would you consider visiting war-torn Ukraine right now, with all the risks it offers? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.