Tourism: issues and prospects of development during the war
Authors: Bozhko L. , Kholodok V. 
Published: October 2022

The relevance of the study. Today, tourism has become a strategic branch of economic development in different countries. It promotes social and cultural development, spreads welfare and the level of the population and promotes the country to the world market, as well as increases its economic potential.

Russian aggression posed new challenges to the tourism industry of Ukraine, which had already experienced significant negative effects of large-scale restrictions caused by the two-year epidemic of COVID disease before the war. Currently, we need to plan how we will develop Ukrainian tourism during the war and after its end. The article is devoted to the study of the scientific output of both foreign and domestic scientists, which deals with a wide range of topics related to the development of tourism during military operations and terrorist threats. The experience of countries that quickly recovered after large-scale conflicts and where tourism began to occupy one of the leading positions was analyzed. Getting close with this experience will undoubtedly help in developing a strategy for the development of tourism in Ukraine in these new times.

The purpose of the article is to study the impact of military actions on the development of tourism and to analyze the experience of tourism developing in the countries affected by military conflict.

The methodology. Methods of abstraction, analysis and synthesis were used in the research process.

The results. So, it can be noted that today, the topic of war and tourism is quite relevant, because in many countries the share of income from tourism is a significant percentage of GDP, and military conflicts have affected many countries. The range of researched issues of the connection between war and tourism covers a wide range of issues. It is location, political strategies, historical contingencies, transport links and economic feasibility that play a role in the development and continuation of tourism before, during and after the war. Examples of countries that have successfully restored the tourism industry after the war and their accumulated experience should become a basis for Ukraine in developing its own plans for the existence and further development of tourism in the country.

It is emphasized that special attention should be paid to the preservation of cultural heritage during the war. The example of the war in Yugoslavia, the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and more recently the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine, show that aggressors are not necessarily guided by the acquisition of land, resources and power. Instead, their goal is mostly to destroy cultural heritage, evidence of an uncomfortable past that they are trying to rewrite. According to preliminary estimates, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than 150 different monuments and cultural objects have been completely damaged or destroyed. The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation has created an interactive “Map of Cultural Losses” that demonstrates the extent of the destruction of monuments as a result of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. Therefore, all the experience accumulated by the countries in similar conditions will be useful to Ukraine and needs to be studied in detail.

With a protracted military conflict with Russia, in our opinion, Ukraine should pay special attention to Israel’s experience in tourism development. As the experience of the countries that have experienced similar events shows, the current attention to Ukraine from almost the whole world can also be used to develop tourism, for example, to provide information about our history and culture, and not only about military operations.

The scientific novelty. Consideration of the relationship between tourism and hostilities and prospects for its development in Ukraine.

The practical significance. The materials of this article can be used to develop programs or strategies for the development of tourism in wartime and postwar period.