Representatives of the tourism sector paid UAH 1 billion 613 million in taxes to the state budget in January–June 2025, which is 29% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the press service of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine.
According to the head of the State Agency for Tourism Development, Natalia Tabaka, in addition to inflationary factors, the growth is explained by the revival of domestic tourism. In particular, the number of taxpayers is also growing: as of the first half of 2025, the number of registered business entities operating in the tourism sector exceeded 14,500, which is 5% more than in the same period last year.
Hotels remain among the leading taxpayers, accounting for 71% of total revenue, or UAH 1.144 billion. For comparison, in 2024, this amount was UAH 809 million, in 2023 – UAH 570 million, and in pre-war 2021 – UAH 665 million.
Tour operators paid almost UAH 195 million in the first half of this year (UAH 165 million in the first half of 2024 and UAH 88 million in 2023).
Travel agencies paid UAH 153 million in the first half of the year, which is 49% more than in the same period of 2024.
Recreation centers and children’s camps paid more than UAH 92 million, 18% more than last year.
As for the tourist tax, local budgets received more than UAH 142.5 million in the first half of 2025, which is 34% more than in the same period last year. The number of tourist tax payers also increased: from 4,945 in the second quarter of 2024 to 5,717 in the second quarter of 2025.
The top five regions in terms of tourist tax revenue are Kyiv (UAH 33.6 million), Lviv region (UAH 26.5 million), Ivano-Frankivsk region (over UAH 22 million), Zakarpattia region (almost UAH 12 million), and Kyiv region (UAH 7.5 million).
International tourism revenues rose 11% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, to $1.7 trillion, the UN World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) reported on Tuesday.
“We are seeing significant growth in tourism revenues across many destinations in early 2025. The average expenditure per international trip in 2024 was $1,170, which is almost 20% higher than the pre-pandemic average of $1,000,” the report said.
According to the organization, Spain, the world’s second-largest tourist destination, reported a 9% increase in tourism revenues in the first two months of 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024). In the Southern Mediterranean region of Europe, Turkey (+7%), Greece, Italy, and Portugal (all three countries saw 4% growth) showed good results in the first quarter. France recorded a 6% increase in international tourism revenues, Norway 20%, and Denmark 11%.
According to UN Tourism, the growth in tourism revenues in Asia was even more noticeable. In Japan, it amounted to 34% in the first quarter, in Nepal – 18%, in South Korea and Mongolia – 14% each.
The United States, which has the highest tourism revenues in the world, reported a 3% increase in January-March 2025.
“Revised data show that total international tourism export revenues (revenues and passenger transport) grew by 11% (in real terms) and reached a record US$2 trillion in 2024, which is about 15% higher than the pre-pandemic level. This is about 6% of total global exports of goods and services and 23% of global trade in services,” the report says.
According to UN Tourism, the growth in international tourism revenues in 2024 is linked to increased spending on overseas travel in the United Kingdom (+16% compared to 2023), Canada (+13%), the United States (+12%), Australia (+8%), and France (+7%). Travelers from China, the world’s largest spender on foreign tourism, spent 30% more abroad in 2024 than a year earlier and 3% more than before the pandemic.
Saudi Arabia (+17%), Spain (+14%), Belgium (+14%), the Netherlands (+13%) and Austria (+11%) also reported growth in travel spending.
Revenues from tourism can grow tenfold if a new law on tourism is adopted and market transparency is ensured, said Mariana Oleskiv, head of the State Agency for Tourism Development (DART), at a reporting press conference.
“Over the five years of DART’s existence, we have been able to achieve significant efficiency in the systemic development and regulation of the Ukrainian tourism industry, together with MPs we have developed the Law on Tourism, the concept and the first stage of the Unified Tourism Register (UTR) and harmonized the interaction between participants. Despite the war, tourism today brings about UAH 3 billion to the country’s budget and creates new niches. These revenues can grow tenfold after the adoption of the new law “On Tourism” and ensuring transparency of this market, including the submission of statistics on tourist accommodation,” she said.
Oleskiv explained this indicator by calculations based on the example of the Slavska community, based on the break-even level of institutions (30% of the workload – IF-U).
“The better data the community receives, the better it can manage this area. For example, a certain season is less active, so the community can reduce the tourist tax and do more promotion to attract more visitors with promotions,” she explained.
Over the five years that Oleskiv has been in charge of DART, state budget revenues from the tourism industry have increased from UAH 1 billion 852 million in 2020 to UAH 2 billion 938 million in 2024. According to a forecast by Oxford Economics, made at the request of DART, the country’s tourism industry could bring up to UAH 598 billion to the state budget in 2034.
“We managed to get Russia expelled from the UN World Tourism Organization, and we created a whole new niche – memory routes. We have reoriented tourism from international to domestic and managed to interest people in new destinations to visit. Today, there is a very real and fully prepared strategy for the development of the industry for the coming years, as well as a professional environment that demonstrates unity and high interaction,” she says.
Systemic steps to create modern rules for managing the industry include a new law on tourism, bills to stimulate investment and development in the industry, a new hotel categorization system, and the creation of the first joint municipal enterprise in the tourism sector.
“Today, the first stage of the UTR has been created, an important element of which is the new categorization system developed by DART experts, after which it makes sense to finalize the second stage of the UTR in accordance with new criteria that meet European ones,” Oleskiv said.
The draft resolution adds modern formats (hostels, glamping, camping, etc.) to the categorization system, in addition to 1-5 star hotels. All accommodation facilities are required to register voluntarily through online resources (address, basic documents, number of beds, etc.). As for the categorization and star rating system, Oleskiv believes that, as required by international practice, it should include on-site compliance checks.
Oleskiv hopes that both the law and the resolution on the new categorization system will be adopted this year, which will help the systematic development of the industry, which has the potential to become a driver of the country’s economy.
The war has led to an 85% drop in inbound tourism, which will lead to a decrease in revenues of more than $1 billion by 2024 and more than $12.7 billion by 2030, the press service of the Ukrainian Hotel & Resort Association (UHRA) reports.
Such data follows from the study “Economic Impact of the War on the Tourism and Hospitality Sector of Ukraine: Losses, Innovations and Resilience”, conducted with the support of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine (DART) in partnership with the UHRA, the Association of Inbound Tour Operators of Ukraine (AITOU), the All-Ukrainian Association of Guides (UAG), the Ukrainian Restaurant Association (URA) and the Ukrainian Culinary Association (UCA).
“Before the outbreak of full-scale war, Ukraine’s tourism sector was on a path of steady growth, contributing $1.6 billion to the national economy and providing 1.2 million jobs. The war has undermined this progress, but with coordinated recovery efforts and targeted international investment, the sector can rebound and once again become a vital engine of Ukraine’s economic recovery,” UHRA President Iryna Sidletska was quoted as saying in the release.
According to the study, it is expected that by the end of 2024, tourism revenues in Ukraine will be more than $1 billion below pre-war forecasts. Total revenue losses by 2030 are estimated at $12.7 billion.
At the same time, the number of jobs by the end of 2024 will be reduced by more than 60% compared to pre-war levels. Experts expect that by 2034, the total number of jobs in the industry will increase to 1 million, which is 540 thousand jobs less than in the pre-war scenario.
The tourism industry is forced to develop in the face of a shortage of investment. The amount of suspended foreign and domestic private investment is estimated at tens of billions of dollars.
GART Chairwoman Mariana Oleskiv emphasized that despite the ongoing war, Ukraine’s tourism industry is showing resilience.
“We are grateful to our partners for analyzing the macroeconomic indicators of the Ukrainian tourism industry, which confirmed that the priority chosen by the Agency – the development of domestic tourism – is correct, especially in conditions when we have almost lost outbound tourism, and inbound tourism, according to this study, has decreased by 85%. Our efforts have resulted in a steady increase in tax revenues in the tourism sector and an increase in hotel occupancy in regions that are relatively safe and popular with tourists,” Oleskiv said.
The report emphasizes the enormous potential of Ukraine’s tourism industry to contribute to the post-war economic recovery and achieve a key role as a generator of national GDP. The experts’ recommendations include investing in the restoration of war-damaged monuments and hospitality facilities; focusing on energy-efficient and green projects; supporting the retraining of displaced workers, veterans, and people with disabilities; and strengthening the promotion of domestic and regional tourism to stabilize the local economy.
Despite the enormous challenges, the authors of the report emphasize that with proper support, Ukraine’s tourism sector can gradually recover and become a powerful symbol of resilience, peace, and economic strength.
The full report will be available for download in October 2024 on the resources of the partners who participated in this study.
Representatives of the tourism industry paid UAH 616 million 391 thousand to the budget in the first quarter of 2024, which is 61% more than in the same period of 2023, when the budget received UAH 383 million 221 thousand, the press service of the State Agency for Tourism Development (DART) reports.
At the same time, they clarify that before the full-scale invasion in 2021, the state budget received UAH 629 million 135 thousand.
“The budget revenues for the first quarter of this year clearly demonstrate that tourism has not only adapted to the difficult working conditions during martial law, but is also developing, creating jobs and supporting local communities. Taxes from the tourism industry are an important part of the economy that is now working to support our army,” said DART Head Mariana Oleskiv, quoted in a press release.
The agency noted that in January-March, the total number of taxpayers engaged in tourism activities increased by 19% compared to the first quarter a year earlier. The number of legal entities increased by 6%, and individuals by 24%.
The largest share of state budget revenues (64%) was paid by hotels – UAH 395 million 194 thousand. This is 69% more than in the same period in 2023 (UAH 233 million 693 thousand) and 32% more than in the same period in 2022 (UAH 299 million 782 thousand). In the pre-war year of 2021, in January-March, the treasury received almost the same amount from hotels – UAH 394 million 576 thousand.
Tax revenues from the activities of tour operators have doubled – UAH 88 million 727 thousand compared to UAH 44 million 854 thousand for the same period last year. In 2021, the state treasury received UAH 47 million from tour operators.
In addition, tax revenues from the activities of travel agencies also increased – UAH 50 million 330 thousand compared to UAH 33 million 844 thousand for the same period in 2023 and UAH 46 million 238 thousand in January-March 2021).
In 2024, the share of tax paid by tourist centers and children’s recreation camps increased by 41%. In the first quarter, the budget received UAH 36 million 180 thousand of tax from these accommodation facilities, compared to UAH 25 million 653 thousand in the first three months of last year. However, compared to the same period in 2021, tax revenues fell by 70% from UAH 119 million 183 thousand.
There was an increase in taxes paid from campsites and parking lots for residential caravans – UAH 704 thousand against UAH 499 thousand. Although compared to 2021, taxes from these accommodation facilities are halved, the budget received UAH 1 million 535 thousand.
International tourism revenues reached $1.5 trillion in 2023, which means a full recovery to the level of pre-pandemic 2019 in nominal terms and by 97% adjusted for inflation, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).
According to the organization, Europe received the highest revenues from international tourism – $660 billion, which is 7% more than in pre-pandemic 2019. Revenues in the Middle East increased by 33%. Last year, America recovered 96% of its pre-pandemic international tourism revenues, Africa – 95%, and the Asia-Pacific region – 78%.
According to UN Tourism, in 2023, GDP from tourism recovered to the level of 2019. It is estimated to have amounted to $3.3 trillion, or 3% of global GDP.
As noted, several destinations achieved outstanding results in terms of international tourism revenues in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2019. Among them are Serbia (plus 127%), Turkey (plus 82%), Pakistan (plus 72%), Tanzania (plus 62%), Portugal (plus 61%), Romania (plus 57%), Japan (plus 53%), Mongolia (plus 50%), Mauritius (plus 46%) and Morocco (plus 44%).
