Join UP!, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian travel market, is opening a company in the Czech Republic, with an office in Prague, the company’s press service toldInterfax-Ukraine.
“Entering the Czech market is an important stage in the brand’s development. Although this is the ninth country where we have started working since the creation of Join UP! tour operator in 2010 in Ukraine, this story is not only about growth for us. Scaling the Join UP! travel experience to other markets also reflects our commitment to transforming the travel industry and encouraging people to travel, because we sincerely believe that travel is not just entertainment, but also a way to take care of yourself and your loved ones, to live every day of your life to the fullest, despite all the challenges of recent years,” comments Alina Alba, co-founder of Join UP! Alina Alba, co-founder of Join UP!
It is reported that the new tour operator will soon present a summer selection of its top destinations to the Czech market. Among them are direct flights from Prague to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, as well as to the Mediterranean resorts of Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. It is also noted that from Katowice, Poland, the tour operator offers flights to Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Spain, Montenegro, and Cyprus. Such a flight program opens up additional opportunities for our compatriots to spend their holidays in the Czech Republic. In particular, from Ostrava, where there are many Ukrainians, it is an hour’s drive to Katowice, Poland, which is almost four times closer than Prague.
The Join UP! brand is developing on the principle of localism by combining a global strategy with the local cultural context. The brand’s international expansion already covers 8 markets: the Baltic States, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Preparations for the launch in Slovakia and Hungary are nearing completion.
Also in Poland, in Katowice, in 2024, the brand opened the first franchise agency on the international market.
Join UP! LLC was established in 2013, with an authorized capital of UAH 72 million 671 thousand. The ultimate beneficiaries are Yuriy and Oleksandr Alba. In 2023, revenue increased to UAH 16 million 639 thousand, which is 2.3 times higher than in 2022.
Czech railroad operator RegioJet has made its first flight on the Prague-Chop route. The night train from Prague with 120 passengers arrived at the Chop station on schedule at 10:35 Kyiv time, the press service of the railway operator reported on Thursday.
As reported, starting March 27, RegioJet is launching a second line to Ukraine via Slovakia to Chop in addition to the existing one via Poland’s Przemysl. The flight has three cars with 140 seats, which follow the Prague-Kosice train. Ticket prices range from EUR18.9 to EUR67.9 including meals.
The night train Prague – Chop departs from Prague (Czech Republic) at 21:52, from Košice (Slovakia) at 06:38 in the morning and arrives in Chop at 10:35. In the opposite direction, departure from Chop is at 17:35, from Kosice at 21:37, arriving in Prague at 05:46 the next day.
JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” launches a special connecting train No. 345/346 Chernivtsi – Chop – Uzhhorod, which will connect with the new international route Prague – Chop.
The connecting train No. 346 Chernivtsi – Chop – Uzhhorod will depart from Chernivtsi daily at 05:30, go through Ivano-Frankivsk (08:13-08:27), Stryi (11:20-11:50), Mukachevo (15:13-15:18), Chop (16:28-16:57), and arrive in Uzhhorod at 17:20. In the opposite direction, departure from Uzhhorod is at 11:05, followed by Chop (11:28-12:03), Mukachevo (13:00-13:10), Stryi (16:15-16:40), Ivano-Frankivsk (19:22-19:27), arriving in Chernivtsi at 21:32.
Train stops are provided at the stations Batyovo, Karpaty, Svalyava, Volovets, Slavske, Skole, Morshyn, Bolekhiv, Dolyna, Rozhnyativ, Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyia.
The mayors of Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava are visiting Kiev, the Polish TV channel Polsat News has reported.
Details of the mayors’ visit to the Ukrainian capital are not yet known.
According to media reports, this is the first visit of Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski to Kiev after the war started.
On February 15, 2022, Trzaskowski, accompanied by Prague mayor Zdenek Grzyb on behalf of the Pact of Free Cities went to meet with Kiev mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
Ukrzaliznytsia in cooperation with Czech carriers plans to launch a train from Prague to Chop.
As noted in the message in the telegram channel of Ukrzaliznytsia, the start date of this train will be announced additionally.
In addition, from December 11, 2022 will run trains: Vienna (Austria) – Chop and Kosice (Slovakia) – Chop.
In addition, the following trains run through the Chop station:
– No. 59/60 Kiev – Chop;
– No. 749 Kiev – Vienna;
– No. 4/3 Zaporizhzhya – Uzhgorod;
– No. 45/46 Uzhgorod – Kharkiv;
– No. 81/82 Kiev – Uzhgorod;
– No. 749/750 Kiev – Uzhgorod;
– No. 265/266 Kovel – Uzhgorod (newly appointed).
SkyUp (Kyiv) is planning to launch flights from Zaporizhia to Batumi (Georgia), Larnaca (Cyprus) and Prague (Czech Republic) at the end of spring to summer 2021.
The company’s press service said on Monday that tickets are available for purchase on the SkyUp website.
The airline also said that it has extended for the winter season flights on the Kyiv-Zaporizhia-Kyiv route, which it started operating from the new airport terminal on October 19.
“Government support for such important infrastructure projects that make passengers’ vacation more comfortable, also opens wide opportunities for increasing destinations, flight frequencies and potentially setting lower fares. We are grateful to the city and airport authorities for the honor of the first Ukrainian low-cost airline to operate the first flight,” the airline’s press service said, citing SkyUp CEO Dmytro Seroukhov.
As reported, the new terminal of Zaporizhia international airport started accommodating internal flights on October 19.
The bus operator FlixBus launches two new international trips from Ukraine on the Kyiv-Krakow-Prague and Kyiv-Vilnius routes. The press service of the company said the Kyiv-Vilnius bus departs daily from Kyiv at 19:20 and arrives at Vilnius airport at 08:40, and then at the bus station at 09:05. Departure from Vilnius is at 21:30, then check-in at the airport of the Lithuanian capital, and arrival in Kyiv at 11:50 the next day. The carrier is the Lithuanian company Ollex. The line route is Kyiv-Chernihiv-Vilnius.
“In recent years, Lithuania has become a popular tourist destination for Ukrainians. According to the statistics department of the Republic of Lithuania, 44% more Ukrainians arrived in Lithuania last year than in 2018. This is the highest increase among visitors from all countries. And although today the pandemic is bringing its limitations, in the long term, the growth of tourism from Ukraine to Lithuania will continue. Now you can get to Vilnius simply and at an affordable price by a comfortable bus, and then, by making one change – across the Baltic countries,” the press service said citing FlixBus Director in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States Michal Leman.
The report notes that FlixBus launched its network in the Baltic countries, namely Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in early July. The company currently offers daily trips from Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius to more than ten other Baltic cities.
