Today Kyiv is especially popular among budget travelers and youth
According to RFI, compared to 2014, the flow of foreign tourists to Kyiv increased by 15-20% – largely thanks to Eurovision, which brought over 20,000 guests last year. This spring, it is expected that there will be even more tourists in Kyiv, as the UEFA Champions League final will take place at the NSC Olimpiyskyi Stadium in May.
As previously stated by the Kyiv mayor's office, tourism is one of the city's development priorities. To this end, they plan to restore Podil, the historical part of the capital, and also build a Disneyland-like amusement park in Kyiv.
According to the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv has enormous tourism potential that needs to be developed, particularly through investment. On one of the Ukrainian TV channels, he announced that new tourist zones will open in the capital. Among them are a pedestrian bridge connecting Volodymyrska Hill and the Arch of Friendship of Peoples, as well as a bike route from the center to the suburbs of the capital. Klitschko also promised that ten parks and the famous Kyiv funicular would be renovated this year.
According to the mayor's office, foreign tourists stayed in hotels in Kyiv, ate in restaurants, used taxis, and spent about $150 per day. In 2017, the Ukrainian capital was visited mainly by men. Tourists organized their trips independently. In Kyiv, tourists were most interested in historical and architectural monuments, as well as museums and exhibitions.
Interest in Ukraine prompted volunteers to organize guided tours. They are conducted mostly for free and in English. Marina Saraeva, one of the organizers of such tours, confirmed to RFI that the number of foreign tourists in Kyiv has indeed increased: "Yes, I can confirm that the number of tourists has increased. This is most noticeable in the number of tourists on daily free tours. In 2015-2016, the flow decreased significantly due to military actions in eastern Ukraine. And now Kyiv is popular among budget travelers and youth."
Vladislav Kileso, a volunteer and founder of a tour bureau for foreigners, said that most visitors to Kyiv came from the USA, Australia, and the UK. The most popular tours were to Chernobyl and the former residence of Viktor Yanukovych, Mezhyhirya.
"Most people are from English-speaking countries. Very many people came from America, Australia, the UK, Canada," says Vladislav Kileso. "Kyiv was also visited by Spaniards, Turks, Israelis, and Germans. The most popular tour we have in Kyiv and Ukraine is, most likely, Chernobyl. Very many people are interested in visiting Chernobyl. A large number of tourists go on free tours of the ancient part of the city. They visited St. Michael's and St. Sophia's Cathedrals, the Golden Gate, the Verkhovna Rada. The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was also popular. And very many people go to Mezhyhirya. Also, street art tours are very popular today. We show tourists murals made by artists from different countries around the world. In general, Kyiv is a very unusual city, combining three completely different styles. People like the mix of Soviet and ancient. For example, tourists walk through the old city, look at churches, and then visit the Museum of the Second World War and see the Motherland Monument."
According to the study, tourists in Kyiv complained most about inconvenient transport and lack of cleanliness in public places. Ukrainians living abroad say that their foreign friends generally had positive impressions of Kyiv. However, some note that the Ukrainian capital has few truly memorable places. A tour of Kyiv should start from Maidan, as its new history began there, expats believe.
"Given the historical events, I would definitely show Maidan, I would probably start from there," says Alena, a human rights activist living in South Africa. "I would try to transport tourists to the not-so-distant 2014 and restore the images they most likely remember from BBC news. In fact, Kyiv has many beautiful sights and it's hard to find something I wouldn't show in life. Any part of the city is an immersion into our culture. For example, Troieshchyna would be a 'very deep immersion.' For this reason, I'm not ashamed of anything. We have such a country, we have only one, with its pros and cons. And all my friends who have ever come to Kyiv want to return."
"The first thing to show is Khreshchatyk. Over the past three years, it has become very European, greener," notes Yulia, who lives in Canada. "I also really liked that now in Kyiv all waiters speak English. I saw this as a very big progress. Honestly, I wouldn't take foreigners outside the center. Every year I feel less ashamed. On the contrary, I am even proud of my city Kyiv. How it develops, how it has become much more pleasant in appearance, how people treat foreigners. I think we are confidently moving towards a European city."
For the development of tourism, the city budget for 2018 allocated 50 million hryvnias (about 1.5 million euros). This money is planned to be spent on improving infrastructure, image, and conducting promotional campaigns. And in the spring, Kyiv will also have its own mascot.