When we imagine a vacation, sunny beaches and carefree rest come to mind. However, traveling is not always about fun. Sometimes rather the opposite. Visit Ukraine confirms this idea and begins work on the launch of dark tourism in Ukraine. It is planned to involve guides, tourism experts, and memory specialists in the cooperation, so that in the future tourists from any part of the planet can see with their own eyes what happened in the destroyed cities of Ukraine, the names of which flew around the world.

The trigger for the development of tours of brave cities was the visits of Bucha, Irpen, and other affected towns of the Kyiv Region by world leaders, including the presidents of France and Germany, the prime ministers of Finland and Italy, European officials, as well as world-class stars. In addition to political delegations and stars, the Kyiv region and other cities are visited daily by hundreds of journalists, philanthropists, and reporters.

"We realized that caring people have a demand to see the traces of war with their own eyes. In order to convey the truth to the world, to help people see what price our country pays for independence, some authors had the idea to develop tours to brave cities, and we subscribe to this idea. This is history before our eyes, a memorial under the open sky. At one time, the fields of World War II became a place of pilgrimage for tourists. Then - Chornobyl. What is happening in Ukraine today is our reality. We must inform the world community about the tragic events that unfortunately took place in the civilized world of the 21st century," says Anton Taranenko, CEO of Visit Ukraine.

In the first stage, it is planned to combine on a single website the tours already provided by the authors and travel operators ready to cooperate with Visit Ukraine. At the same time, the routes through the first cities will be coordinated with memory specialists to minimize interference in the personal space of the residents of the affected cities and take into account all ethical points.

All profits from tour sales will go to help Ukrainian refugees.

While the concept of bold cities is under development, tourism to classic Ukrainian attractions is also actively recovering. On the Visit Ukraine website, those interested can already purchase sightseeing tours of Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Chernivtsi or plan a vacation in the Carpathians. The tours of the largest Ukrainian cities also include locations related to Russia's war against Ukraine. For example, guests of Kyiv will be able to see an exhibition of battered Russian equipment in the heart of the city and go down to one of the most beautiful metro stations, which served as a shelter from missile attacks.

When booking a tour, travelers will receive recommendations on a safe visit to Ukraine, professional guide support, transportation if necessary, and an insurance policy covering risks.