The western regions of Ukraine have seen a 30-40% increase in visits to resorts and tourist destinations during the winter holidays compared to last winter.
“Last season, even with great snowy weather, there were fewer people, but this year we see 30-40% more tourists. This is due to two factors: an increase in supply in the region and a somewhat more positive attitude,” Andriy Dzvinchuk, chairman of the board of the Association of Hotels and Manor Owners of Yaremche Region, toldInterfax-Ukraine.
In total, Yaremche region (Yaremche, Polianytsia, Yablunytsia, Mykulychyn, Vorokhta, Tatariv, etc.) currently offers about 20,000 beds in about 250 hotels and 800 estates. According to Dzvinchuk, in recent years, the region has seen a shift in tourist traffic closer to the resort in winter, due to the emergence of new large hotels with 200-300 rooms with developed, modern infrastructure. In particular, the occupancy of hotels managed by Ribas Hotels in Bukovel is higher than last year.
“This year’s season officially started on December 12, which contributed to an increase in occupancy and demand in the market. During the New Year’s period, we came close to the numbers that were before the full-scale invasion, and in some hotels even exceeded them. Hotel occupancy in Bukovel reached 77-84%, depending on the hotel, and increased by 11-13% compared to last year,” said Yulia Kosenko, CEO of Ribas Hotels Management.
The length of stay of guests in Bukovel also increased and amounted to 4.3 nights compared to the previous year’s figure of 3.2 nights during the New Year period. On New Year’s Eve, 60% of guests stayed for 5-8 nights, and the number of group bookings increased and became the same as in the pre-war season.
“We can also highlight the return of interest and participation of guests in the New Year’s celebration, with hotel restaurants filling 73% of their seats,” said Kosenko.
Lviv region has also seen a noticeable increase in tourist activity.
“There is growth. If we compare the New Year’s period, 43.3% of hotel rooms were booked in 2023, and 47% in 2024,” Taras Lozynsky, acting head of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Lviv Regional State Administration, told Interfax-Ukraine.
At the same time, there was an increase in hotel occupancy in Lviv – 54.6% during the New Year’s period compared to 54.4% last season, but a decrease in occupancy in the Carpathian region and resort areas in general (46.1% and 41.9% in 2024 vs. 62.4% and 57.7% in 2023), which can be explained by a significant new supply. This is indirectly evidenced by the growth of tourist tax (UAH 9.17 million in November-December 2024 vs. UAH 7.6 million in the same period in 2023) and attendance at the most popular tourist locations. In particular, Tustan was visited by 15 thousand tourists in November-December 2024, compared to 11.7 thousand last year; Skole Beskydy – 26.9 thousand and 17.1 thousand, respectively; and the Domazhyr bear shelter – 1.5 thousand against 1081.
Apartel resort partner Yevhen Kudryavchenko told Interfax-Ukraine that the occupancy rate of the chain’s hotels (in Shayany, Uzhhorod and Skhidnytsia) was 80% during the New Year’s period, while about 40% of guests chose long-term stays of five nights or more. Prices for the New Year period increased by at least 25% from the base rate.
Kudryavchenko noted that long vacations accounted for a large share of the workload, with families with children choosing 7-10 days of stay.
“If we talk about the periods from December 10 to January 10, we have a fantastic occupancy rate, about 70% in hotels due to the large number of families with children. We adapted the program for them, added children’s entertainment, and allocated a whole room for children’s entertainment. Even on New Year’s Eve, we had a separate room where children celebrated separately from their parents, and parents thanked us for that,” he added.
As for the depth of booking, Kudryavchenko said that earlier they used to book months in advance, but now the planning horizon has significantly decreased, with the peak of bookings a week before arrival.
“Another negative trend is a significant share of cancellations – 15% for various reasons, while before the war this figure did not exceed 5%,” he said.
According to Kosenko, in Bukovel, guests mostly book their vacations a month in advance.
“Tourism in the high season has become more planned rather than sudden, although there are still some guests who book a weekend in a day, taking the last rooms,” she said.
According to Ms. Dzvinchuk, prices have risen significantly, by 10-20%, compared to last year. This is explained not only by inflation and more expensive new offers, but also by the fact that the booking company has returned the commission for Ukrainian clients (up to 18%).
Kosenko said that the average rate at Ribas Hotels increased by 18% compared to last year and amounted to UAH 11 thousand per night on average, which indicates a constant pricing in the market this season.
