Tourism in Ukrainian frontline communities: trends, challenges, and development prospects

Abstract

In Ukraine, as a result of Russia’s military aggression, tourism has suffered significant losses, and in regions close to or where hostilities are ongoing, it has ceased operations altogether. However, there are many examples in the world where countries have recovered quickly and successfully developed after armed conflicts. Given this, it is necessary to study foreign experience in restoring tourism and to develop the author’s own scientific and practical recommendations for further tourism development in wartime and post-war. The purpose of the article is to highlight new trends and peculiarities in the tourism sphere of the frontline communities of Ukraine (Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions) during the war and to develop the author’s recommendations for its further development, taking into account the primary data of a sociological survey of tourism rep- resentatives. The study was based on the results of a sociological survey of tourism business owners, employees of tourist infrastructure and attractions, representatives of tourism NGOs, and executive authorities coordinating tourism activities in the frontline territories of Ukraine. The respondents were 144 people from 5 regions of Ukraine: Dnipropetrovs’k, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions. The sociological survey was conducted from February 2 to 15, 2023 by Estonian (Tallinn University) and Ukrainian scientists with the support of the Estonian Research Agency. The purpose of the survey was to identify the peculiarities of the state of Ukrainian frontline communities and the tourism business in the context of the war and prospects for the future. The sociological survey was conducted using the Google form tool on various areas of tourism business activity, such as the peculiarities of the tourism business before the war, the types of tourism practiced in the community before the outbreak of hostilities, changes in tourism after the outbreak of hostilities, problems and threats to the tourism business, prospects and opportunities for tourism development after the war, the greatest benefits for the community in terms of tourism business development during the war and the post-war period, participation in tourism clusters, and the development of tourism business in the community. The computer programs Microsoft Excel 2010, Adobe Photoshop 2021, and the program SPSS Statistics V21.0 were used for calculations, computations, and graphical constructions. Based on the results of the survey, we suggest ways to restore tourism in the frontline communities of Ukraine after the war.