Tourism in Ukraine

By Walter Kish

I have travelled extensively over the past two years to virtually every corner of Ukraine and am intimately familiar with every aspect of the tourist and travel service industry here. To say that the industry has a long way to travel before meeting the norms and standards of North American or European hospitality is an understatement. By and large, the transportation, accommodations, dining and attractions infrastructure is still stuck in the Soviet era and shows little sign of adapting to the increasing number of both local and foreign travellers.

Similarly, there is a shortage of decent hotels, yet none of the levels of government in Ukraine seem interested in breaking up the bureaucratic log-jam preventing new hotels from being built. Despite many serious efforts, only one major global chain, the Renaissance, has succeeded in building a new Western-style hotel in Ukraine. Potential foreign investors usually give up in frustration with the Ukrainian regulatory, administrative and tax environment. The situation is in no doubt partly attributable to the lobbying interests of reigning local oligarchs who have monopolized the closed market with substandard Intourist-era hotels. Yet, equal blame must go to a Ukrainian government that has no concept of the contribution that tourism can make to a country’s economy.

The railway system is another good example. Although Ukraine’s system is extensive and trains do generally run on time, the whole infrastructure is in desperate need of upgrading. Most of the rolling stock is decades old, and a ride in one of the sleeper cars with its often ominous shaking, swaying and clanging is more reminiscent of an amusement-park ride than a modern mode of conveyance.

Believe it or not, the hot water heater at the end of each car is still fired up by a wood burning stove! The washrooms are endured more than used and, sad to say, a flush (when it works) deposits one’s contributions through a hole in the floor directly onto the track. For this reason, the washrooms are kept locked and unusable whenever the train is in a station or is travelling through an urban area. Of course, Murphy’s Law being what it is, this is usually the time when you most need to make use of the facilities.

Further, the windows are bolted shut, preventing passengers from regulating internal airflow and temperatures. Supposedly the cars are all air-conditioned and heated, but these theoretical claims are typically belied by the stifling heat or freezing cold that one often experiences. The overall speed of travel also leaves much to be desired. A 500-kilometre trip, that in more modern countries would take four to five hours maximum, takes at least twice as long here.

To be fair, UKRZALIZNYCIA, the state rail administration, has begun investing in recent years in upgrades, though most of this has gone into refurbishing the country’s crumbling railway stations and very little into the vehicles. The main Kyiv station, for instance, has been marvelously renovated. Nonetheless, impressed though I may be with the aesthetics of the place, I am distressed by the fact that the main escalators leading to the various boarding gates have been out of service for over two months now, and I am forced to schlep my suitcases up and down numerous staircases.

The airline services are little better. Although flights outside of the country are generally of a higher quality and use newer Boeing or Airbus craft, domestic flights usually mean flying on an antiquated Yak or Antonov airplane that is dingy, noisy and appears to be held together by rubber bands and duct tape. Local airports, with a few exceptions, are small, barren of the basic services and facilities of western terminals, and could probably serve with little preparation as sets for a remake of Casablanca.

On a more general level, the lack of tourism collateral, particularly for the foreign traveller whose working language is increasingly English, is particularly striking. Aside from material on Kyiv itself, there are few printed resources, such as maps, brochures, guide books or other information for tourists in the English language. Complicating matters is the fact that signage on the roads, apart from a few major arteries, is severely lacking. 

Even the numerous historical, scenic and cultural attractions are often poorly managed. One particularly scandalous example is Kyiv’s famed Golden Gates: despite being one of the country’s most famous historical landmarks, immortalized in Mussorgsky’s famous composition Pictures at an Exhibition, the interior structure is crumbling and it has been closed to tourists for most of the past decade. Several weeks ago, I nearly feel through the rotting floorboards in front of the gate.

I could go on, but I think the point has been made that Ukraine, despite the natural hospitality of most of its citizens, is far from tourist-friendly.

The government needs to make tourism a priority and coordinate the efforts of the various ministries and levels of government to take full potential of this vital economic sector. With its deep history, wonderful geography and landscapes, and a rich cultural and artistic heritage, Ukraine could style itself into a prime travel destination.