Beka Jakeli, Chief of Member Relations, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts Ukraine to become one of the most-in-demand countries for travel after the war.
As he noted in a conversation with BMGTV, low awareness was one of the main problems for Ukraine years ago.
While working in the Georgian Tourism Administration, Beka Jakeli declared that Ukraine was one of the first countries where Georgia started marketing campaigns to attract tourists in 2005-2006.
"I love Ukraine and Ukrainian people very much. I have had a close relationship with this country since I worked in the Georgian Tourism Administration. After that, in 2012, I was a USAID consultant in Ukraine, when the European Football Championship was held there. Namely, we had master classes for the public and private sectors on what kind of marketing campaigns the host cities should conduct to attract visitors and investments in the sector.
Lack of awareness always has been one of the problems for Ukraine. On the one hand, tourist interest was low, while on the other - Ukraine had been known as a country with high corruption. In recent years, it is true that successful reforms started in the country, but unfortunately, then the war started...
Regarding the outlook for tourism in Ukraine, when the war ends, Ukraine will recover its economy and tourism, it will be one of the leading tourist destinations on the list of travel countries where citizens will want to travel. Ukraine will be a subject of great interest because today the civilized world has particular respect for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," says Beka Jakeli, Chief of Member Relations, United Nations World Tourism Organization.
According to Jakeli, tourism, as well as business tourism has significantly decreased amid the war.
As of the 2022 UNWTO report, in Ukraine, the income from international tourism decreased by 45% in 1Q2022, while - in the second quarter the rate was down by 24% compared to the same period of 2021.
In 2021, Ukraine received USD 950 million from international tourism.
