Mariana Oleskiv has what is certainly one of the most unlikely jobs in the world at the moment—Chair of the Ukraine State Agency for Tourism Development.
While obviously many aspects of that job are on indefinite hold while war rages in the country, but Oleskiv is busy planning for the postwar era. At Berlin’s huge International Travel Exchange meeting, she’s spreading the word that “We welcome our guests if they don’t come with guns. Any money that people will spend in Ukraine will help the economy to recover. We have now the brand of Ukraine developed and well known around the world. But it’s not associated with tourism.”
She acknowledges that the images people see these days are not like the view above, but of cities that have been bombed and devastated. “We have many cities look like this, but it’s around 20 per cent or 30 per cent of territory that is occupied. The rest is alright. It’s very beautiful. We have good infrastructure and we have very good hotels, good service, internet coverage. We need to create interest to Ukraine not just as people that you support and you feel sorry for—but also the country you want to support by visiting.”
