RURAL TOURISM IN UKRAINE

A peculiar fashion for recreation in the countryside, which has gained

strength in Europe in recent years, has also reached Ukraine. Green
tourism as recreation in the village is not news for Ukraine, because
even at the beginning of the 20th century. famous Ukrainian writers,
artists, artists, and politicians came to rest in the Carpathian villages.
Currently, the development of rural tourism has already spread to 14
oblasts of Ukraine. The initiator was the all-Ukrainian public non-profit
organization - the Association for the Promotion of the Development of
Rural Green Tourism in Ukraine.
Rural green tourism is a special form of recreation in the village using
the natural, material and cultural potential of the area. At the same time,
food and service for tourists ensures the accommodation of a rural
family.
The Ukrainian village has rich recreational resources that have not been
properly used yet. The most valuable tourist resource of the village is the
picturesque Ukrainian nature, the lack of communication with which
most of the city's residents experience. Green tourism in different
regions of Ukraine allows you to use various factors of the healing effect
of nature: landscape therapy, climate therapy, balneology, etc.
In addition, the Ukrainian village has a rich cognitive potential related to
the historical and ethnographic heritage, rural culture and everyday life,
types of professional and labor activities and folk crafts that are little
known to the city dweller. A resident of a large Ukrainian city perceives
rural life and village culture as excitingly exotic, especially Hutsul,
Moldavian, Bulgarian, Greek, etc. villages. It seems even more exotic to
a foreign tourist.
The picturesque nature of Ukraine allows for the development of this
type of recreation in almost all regions.
Tourists are most interested in villages located on the sea coast, near
rivers and lakes, in the mountains, as well as near mineral water sources,
mud treatment facilities, and in areas of outstanding importance in
Ukrainian history and culture. Rural tourism is also an interesting form,
connected with religious pilgrimages to the biggest known holidays.
Rest in the countryside attracts, first of all, residents of large cities of
Ukraine, who dream of living, even for a short time, in an ecologically
clean rural area, feasting on natural products of traditional Ukrainian
cuisine, in order to take a break from the crazy city life in the intimate
atmosphere of a picturesque country estate. Some take children to the
countryside for recovery.
Tourists are also attracted to the village by the village spirit, which is felt
by successful mass resorts. With the host, you can freely discuss the
terms and conditions of accommodation, the composition of food,
excursions, etc. An "official" tourist with such freedom of choice is, as a
rule, official.
Some tourists are attracted to the village for a vacation by a certain
exoticism of rural work. Citizens want to show their children where
bread, milk and other products come from. Some tourists are attracted
by the opportunity to fish and hunt game in the village. Village owners
also offer tourists various entertainment: riding carriages or sleighs,
participation in traditional folk holidays, village springs, etc.
There is also such a motive: in winter, Carpathian villages experience a
real influx of ski and sled fans, and not only from all over Ukraine.
Recently, rural green tourism has become a favorite form of recreation
for foreigners living and working in Ukraine: employees of embassies,
employees of foreign missions, banks, companies, foundations, etc.
They come to the Ukrainian village both for the weekend and for a
longer period.
What attracts farmers to green tourism?
In Europe, peasants engaged in green tourism due to the fact that the
Western European market for agricultural products turned out to be
overcrowded.
Instead, our master took up this unfamiliar business due to the loss of the
usual sources of sources: the forced release of part of the peasants from
agricultural production caused the appearance of unemployment.
Green tourism provides additional income to a rural family and
stimulates the development of its economy to meet the needs of tourists
in food products. For the sake of profit from visiting tourists, the owner
raises a pig, a goat, fattens a horse, restores an abandoned garden, starts
an apiary or a fish pond. There comes a day when the old house
becomes cramped for guests, and then a new one is built - especially for
tourists, with a toilet inside, a bathhouse is built, a telephone is built, and
eventually water heating of the house.
The village itself also receives an impetus for development as a result of
the appearance of tourists in it. In addition, the transformation of this or
that village into a center of green tourism forces local authorities to
develop cultural institutions, transport infrastructure, and pay attention
to the improvement of the settlement.
Those owners who have at least some "start-up" funds are the first in the
village to face the difficult path of the tourist business. According to the
estimates of the Association for the Promotion of Rural Green Tourism,
the costs to "fit up" a simple village house to receive tourists are at least
$600-700. Of course, the transformation of a country house
So, what does Ukraine have for the broad development of green
tourism?
First of all, there is a growing demand from both residents of Ukrainian
cities and foreigners for recreation in the countryside.
We also have a fairly rich offer for the mentioned demand: unique
natural and historical resources of the Ukrainian village, relatively free
rural housing stock for receiving tourists, free labor resources for their
service, traditional hospitality of the hosts.
What is missing in order for rural green tourism in Ukraine to become
an effective factor in village development and be able to realize its
recreational potential?

First of all, there is no favorable legislative framework for the

development of green tourism in Ukraine, the status of hosts who host
tourists on vacation is not defined by law.
Secondly, the village needs the creation of green tourism infrastructure:
financial institutions for lending to owners, a system of training
personnel for green tourism, a cultural and household base of the village,
and a transport network.
Ukrainian green tourism also needs advertising and information support,
including with the involvement of the Internet.
As you can see, rural green tourism represents a successful combination
of benefits for vacationers and for rural owners, it is quite a rewarding
business, but it requires the efforts and attention of legislators, heads of
government bodies and the public.
And only then it is possible to talk about the accession of the Ukrainian
Association for the Promotion of the Development of Rural Green
Tourism to the members of the European Federation of Rural Tourism
EUROGITES, which unites 17 countries of the European Union.