The Ukrainian travel industry responds to demand and changes to meet the needs of travelers. Thus, in all popular destinations, there are more opportunities for recreation with children, and the geography of departure points is expanding, both for bus and air tours. Join UP! tm tour operator has analyzed the main destinations and vacation formats that will be in demand this year.
Early start
Recent statistics show that tourists are more likely to start the summer season in the spring. Mostly we are talking about the Mediterranean countries: Turkey, Spain, Cyprus, and the Greek islands.
At this time, the weather in this region is almost summer-like – the average air temperature is +25°C and the water temperature is +19-20°C, and prices are lower and there are fewer tourists. Accordingly, tourists have a better chance of booking even the most popular hotels in high season and taking excursions that are already available in the spring months.
In addition, spring is a period of flowering, which makes the southern landscapes even more interesting. Another reason why traveling in spring is gradually becoming more popular is the rise in summer temperatures. Those who do not like excessive heat plan trips in April and May.
Leaders of queries
The list of the most popular vacation destinations remains unchanged – Turkey (from 8026 UAH*) and Egypt (from 17 281 UAH*). The countries differ in climate and nature, but are similar in their wide range of all-inclusive hotels. At the same time, both countries have a wide range of excursions, so even when returning to the resort, you can get new impressions again and again.
European resorts are also in great demand: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Montenegro, and Spain. The share of tourists choosing these countries is growing every year. At the same time, each country has its own specifics. For example, Albania (from 17,027 UAH*) has the cheapest all-inclusive format for its region, Cyprus (from 17,689 UAH*) has an active nightlife, which is why it is popular with young people, and Crete (from 10,292 UAH*) is popular for excursions and natural locations, Montenegro (from 16,008 UAH*) is more often traveled by those who like to travel around the country, and Spain (from 26,958 UAH*) is appreciated for its combination of urban recreation, beautiful landscapes and amusement parks for children.
Tunisia (from 18,585 UAH*) is also worth mentioning, as the demand for it has been growing steadily in recent years. If last year Join UP! tm offered tours to this resort only with departures from Romania and Poland, now trips are also available from popular airports in Poland and Moldova and even Lithuania.
Tunisia attracts with a combination of high service (the country has a large concentration of hotels of global chains), beautiful beaches and a rich excursion program covering the Sahara, Carthage and the town of Sidi Bou Said, which is known for its traditional architecture in blue and white colors and spectacular sea views.
Exotic destinations
Traveling to distant countries – from equatorial Africa to the islands in the Indian Ocean or the coast of North America – has always been a relatively small but stable segment of demand. The Dominican Republic, the Maldives, Mexico, Tanzania (Zanzibar), and Sri Lanka attract many people, but the price often remains a deterrent.
However, recently, some tourists have been booking trips to these countries in the summer, when it is the low season. Prices during this period are much lower, and it is also possible to get into hotels that are usually unavailable in winter due to a significant increase in the number of tourists.
The price of traveling in summer is different from the main season, because hotels in this season make a discount of 20% to 50%. Thus, you can fly to the Maldives for a week from 63,948 UAH* per person, to Zanzibar from 61,551 UAH* per person (7 nights in a hotel), to Sri Lanka from 58,244 UAH* per person (7 nights in a hotel), to the Dominican Republic from 86,225 UAH* per person (9 nights in a hotel).
Vacations with children
Women with children have been one of the most active categories of travelers in recent years. This has led to some changes in the market: now most destinations are adapted to accommodate families with children. This applies to suitable hotels with animation and amusement parks, as well as excursion programs.
Popular air tours to Turkey for two adults with a child start at 22,406 UAH*. A trip to Montenegro for a similar number of tourists will cost from 47,590 UAH*, and to the islands: from 27,998 UAH* in Crete (Greece) and from 47,899 UAH* in Cyprus. A trip for two adults with a child to the Maldives will cost from 187,291 UAH*.
There is also an option to travel by bus. Thus, a trip to Bulgaria for two adults with a child will cost from 17,865 UAH*. You can go there from Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, and Kyiv. You can also travel to Turkey by bus: for two adults with a child, the trip will cost from 27,438 UAH*. Buses depart from Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kyiv. It is worth noting that the service on board the buses is expanding every season: the opportunity to pre-order meals, use online cinema services, and much more is added.
“Ukrainians have learned to coexist with the war as much as possible. Parents work, children study, and rest in the summer. In addition, for many people summer is the sea, and since such a vacation is almost impossible in Ukraine, we are seeing a positive trend in the demand for foreign travel,” comments Kateryna Artyukh, Head of Product Marketing at Join UP! tm. – Of course, we are still far from the indicators of 2021, but compared to the previous year, we expect an increase in bookings by 30%. Ukrainians need a reboot to stay strong for the long term, and traveling is one of the best opportunities to stay safe and get new experiences.”
* – all prices are quoted at the exchange rate as of 19.04.2024 per person, based on double occupancy.
JOIN UP!, TOURISM, travel industry, UKRAINE, vacation with children
Insurance companies-members of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTSBU) in January-March 2024 concluded 1.7 million contracts of compulsory civil liability insurance of owners of land vehicles (CMTPL), which is 5.02% more than in the same period of 2023.
According to data released on the MTSBU website, 74% or 1.2 million contracts were concluded electronically, 20% more than in January-March last year.
Members of the Bureau for the three months of 2024 increased the collection of insurance payments under CMTPL insurance policies by 26.2% compared to the comparable period of 2023 – up to UAH 2.1 billion, including UAH 1.673 billion (+41.12%) under electronic contracts.
The amount of the average insurance premium under MTPL contracts is UAH 1,262.8 (+20.1% compared to the same period of 2023).
The total amount of accrued insurance indemnities under domestic insurance contracts has increased by 31,16% – up to UAH 1,18 billion, including UAH 237,9 million paid using “europrotocol” (+17,34%).
The Bureau also recorded an increase in the number of settled claims for insurance compensation by 17.95% – up to 36.6 thousand, including data on the use of “Europrotocol” -13,206 thousand (+3.94%).
The average amount of insurance indemnity for claims of victims in Q1 2024 is UAH 32,270 thousand, which is by 11,2% more than in the same period of 2023 (UAH 29,019 thousand).
The ITSBU is the only association of insurers in Ukraine, carrying out compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of inland motor vehicles for damage caused to third parties. 33 insurance companies are members of the Bureau.
The number of registered unemployed people increased by 7.9% to 118.5 thousand in March, mainly due to the increase in the number of unemployed women for the fourth month in a row, including last month – by 7.6 thousand to 91.9 thousand.
According to the data of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), released on Friday, the number of unemployed also increased among people under 35 years old – by 2.3 thousand, up to 27.1 thousand.
It is specified that such a trend has lasted since January 2024.
As in the previous month, the largest number of unemployed citizens was recorded in the following regions: Zaporizhzhya (8.9 thousand), Kharkiv (8.6 thousand), Dnipropetrovsk (8.4 thousand), Sumy (7.3 thousand) and Poltava (6.4 thousand).
According to the central bank, the number of unemployed receiving benefits increased from 46.6 thousand to 51.2 thousand, while the number of vacancies also increased to 44.5 thousand from 41 thousand in February.
More details on macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine and the world, GDP of major countries and other economic topics were discussed in one of the video analysis of Experts club analytical center – https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=Ymo-FlMFNGfLLdK-.
Subscribe to Experts club channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
Significant rains are expected on Sunday, April 21, in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, at night and Odessa, Mykolayiv, Kirovograd and Sumy regions, reports Ukrhydrometcenter.
In the afternoon in the eastern, Cherkasy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions thunderstorms, in the south-eastern and central regions wind gusts of 15-20 m/s. In this regard, in these areas declared I level of danger, yellow.
At night on April 21-22, April 21-22 in the western regions on the surface of the soil frost 0-3 ° (I level of danger, yellow).
Ukraine has officially opened its embassy in Rwanda with the participation of Rwandan officials, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, marking an important step in the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry’s website has reported.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s press service, on April 18, Ukraine’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa Maxim Subh made a working visit to the city of Kigali to officially open the Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Rwanda as part of his tour of African countries.
The event was attended by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda Clementina Mukeka, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Rwanda, representatives of the media and business circles of the host country.
It is noted that Subh informed the participants of the opening ceremony of the embassy about countering the ongoing armed aggression of Russia, Russian massive missile strikes on the energy and industrial infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine aimed at protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.
During his visit to Rwanda, the Special Representative met with the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Biruta. The parties discussed the prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation, as well as interaction within the framework of international organizations.
“I highly appreciate Rwanda’s position on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian diplomat emphasized.
The special representative also handed Biruti a personal message from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and an invitation to participate in the Global Peace Summit.
For his part, Rwandan Minister Vincent Biruta noted the heroism of the Ukrainian people, who, according to him, courageously oppose Russian aggression. The minister said that the Rwandan side was considering the possibility of participating in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.
Biruta also noted that the opening of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission is an important step in the development of relations between Ukraine and Rwanda, which will give a new impetus to bilateral cooperation.
Polish farmers plan to allow trucks to pass through the checkpoint “Rawa-Russkaya – Grebennoye” to enter Poland, except for those moving goods of groups 1-24 of the UKTVED (agricultural products).
As reported in the Telegram channel of the State Border Service of Ukraine on Saturday, the preliminary movement of trucks should begin at 8:00 on April 21.
Earlier it was reported that the movement of trucks at the checkpoints “Shegini-Medika” and “Krakowiec-Korczowa” on the Polish-Ukrainian border was resumed on Saturday morning after Polish farmers ended the protest action in front of them. The registration and passage of cargo vehicles across the border in the two directions is carried out as usual.
