Facebook Pixel

Return of foreign tourists to Ukraine—where do they come from most of all

From January to September 2021, almost 3.1 million tourists visited Ukraine, mainly from European countries. For the same period last year, this figure was more than 12.5% less, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure.

We are witnessing not only the return of tourists to Ukraine, but also an increase in the level of domestic travel and a significant reorientation of the main tourist markets for Ukraine. This refers to an increase in the number of tourists not only from Europe, but also from distant countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States.

Oleksandr Kubrakov

Oleksandr Kubrakov

Ukravtodor CEO

In the first nine months of the year, Ukraine was visited by:

  • 2.1 million, or 70% of citizens of European countries (most of all from Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Turkey);
  • 779,100, or 25.5% from Asian countries (most of all from the Russian Federation, Israel, Saudi Arabia, India. and Azerbaijan);
  • 93,000, or 3% of foreigners from North America (most of all from the USA, Canada, and Mexico);
  • 42,100, or 1.4% of citizens from African countries (most of all from Egypt, Morocco, Reunion, and Nigeria);
  • 19,300, or 0.6% of the citizens of Oceania (most of all from the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Zealand);
  • 5,600, or 0.2% from South America (most of all from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina).

The top 10 countries tourists came to Ukraine from the most include:

  • Moldova—744,600;
  • Russia—411,400;
  • Poland—209,000;
  • Romania—200,300;
  • Belarus—199,600;
  • Turkey—172,000;
  • Hungary—152,400;
  • Germany—111,700;
  • Israel—96,300;
  • USA — 81,600.

The flow of foreign tourists from Saudi Arabia has skyrocketed. From January to September 2021, almost 48,700 citizens of this country visited Ukraine (8,800% compared to three quarters of 2020).

The Ministry of Infrastructure stresses that they are now working on an analysis of the tourist market in Ukraine. The plans for the coming years include launching "an international marketing campaign, including, in particular, digital campaigns for tourists in key markets, as well as participation in major international exhibitions with presentations for the tourism business abroad."

Context. In 2020, the Ukrainian tourism industry incurred about 60 billion UAH in losses because of the coronavirus.

Thank 🎉