Scope of tourism in Ukraine: Implications of the volcanic eruption in Iceland for Ukrainian tourists

Due to the closure of 17 April airspace of Ukraine tens of thousands of tourists from Ukraine failed to reach the planned vacation or time to return home. Many of our compatriots are still held hostage to the circumstances, pending the resumption of flights to most European countries (where 63 thousand canceled flights).

Tour operators, travel industry leaders and members of the Association of Leaders of tourist industry of Ukraine (ALTU), make every possible effort to minimize the impact of the lifting flights for tourists from Ukraine. Most airlines have allowed without penalty to rebook tickets or returne the money. The leading Ukrainian tour operators reached agreements with hotels in Israel, Turkey and Egypt-free extension of residence of Ukrainian tourists, which at the time of closure of the airspace of Ukraine rested in these countries, not at the airports they slept. Instead, some hotels in Europe do not return the Ukrainian tour operators prepaid for tourist money because of the prevailing circumstances did not manage to arrive at a hotel.

In addition, a part of Ukrainian tourists, who failed to timely return from Europe, the expiry date of visa. So far only the embassy of Austria and the Czech Republic reported a gratuitous extension of visas for our tourists. This issue is one of the most painful, because after that tourists will be hard to prove their innocence to a breach of the visa regime of the country of temporary residence.

The vast majority of Ukrainian tourists understood the circumstances that have arisen in connection with the volcanic eruption in Iceland. They prefer to wait out an unfavorable situation and does not invalidate the planned trip. Ukrainian tour operators are ready to resume all of their travel, but this must await the opening of airports.

Of course, tourists traveling on short notice, have canceled their trips. With regard to possible compensation until a clear answer to this question. The position of Ukrainian tour operators will be a mirror image position hoteliers and airlines. If they reach agreement on the return of tourists, some tour operators, of course, would not stand aside.

ALTU concludes that the scope of tourism in Ukraine as a whole was not ready to minimize the consequences for Ukrainian tourists a natural disaster - it must be noted the lack of coherence in the work of both the relevant state authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Transport, Culture and Tourism and the tourism industry in the whole.

On this occasion ALTU sent a letter to the Cabinet of Ministers (Government of Ukraine) with specific proposals on measures to overcome these phenomena in the future.

Press office Alto