The St. Sophia Cathedral National Reserve has launched an official audio guide in English for foreign visitors to St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (ACC) announced on August 7.
The English-language version of the audio guide is primarily intended for foreign tourists, diplomats, and expats, and introduces visitors to the cathedral’s history, architecture, and 11th-century mosaics and frescoes. The audio guide is also available online.
Andriy Gunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, provided the narration for the English-language tour.
According to him, the project aims to make Kyiv’s rich history more accessible to an English-speaking international audience. Gunder invited diplomats, tourists, and foreigners living in Ukraine to visit St. Sophia Cathedral and use the new audio guide.
St. Sophia Cathedral was built in the first half of the 11th century during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise and became one of the main sacred and political centers of Kievan Rus’. UNESCO calls it one of the most outstanding monuments of architecture and monumental art of the early 11th century. The cathedral preserves a unique collection of original mosaics and frescoes from this period.
In 1990, St. Sophia Cathedral, along with the adjacent monastic buildings and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was one of the first Ukrainian sites to be included on this list.
The launch of an English-language audio guide expands opportunities for international visitors to explore one of Kyiv’s major historical landmarks on their own and creates an additional tourist attraction for foreign visitors to the Ukrainian capital.
St. Sophia Cathedral is located at 24 Volodymyrska Street, Kyiv. The English-language audio guide can be listened to either during your visit or online.
According to The Serbian Economist, Mogren Beach in Budva, Montenegro, took first place in the European Beach Index 2026, compiled by experts from the British service Quotezone.co.uk. It outperformed beaches in Cyprus, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, and other European countries thanks to its combination of warm sea, affordable prices, and proximity to the airport.
When compiling the index, analysts took into account the average water and air temperatures in July, the number of five-star reviews, the cost of a three-day hotel stay, the minimum price of draft beer, and the distance from the nearest airport. Points were awarded to beaches for each indicator, and the total score determined their final ranking.
The average water temperature near Mogren Beach in July is 25.5 degrees, and the average air temperature is 26.7 degrees. The researchers estimated the average cost of a three-day stay in the Budva area at 194.56 pounds sterling, and the minimum price of draft beer at 1.29 pounds. The distance to the nearest airport is about 22 km. At the time of data collection, the beach had 479 five-star reviews.
Second place went to Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, which had topped the previous ranking. It outperforms Mogren in terms of temperature: the water here warms up to an average of 27.4 degrees, and the air to 28.9 degrees. However, a three-day stay is more expensive—approximately 318.85 pounds.
Playa de Maspalomas on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria came in third. The beach has garnered over 5,000 five-star reviews, but the average cost of a three-day stay reached 365.97 pounds. Fourth place went to Irakli Beach in Bulgaria, where the lowest price for beer among the ranking’s participants was recorded—0.88 pounds.
Rounding out the top ten were Elafonissi in Crete, Praia da Falésia in Portugal’s Algarve, Zlatni Rat on the Croatian island of Brač, and La Pelosa in Sardinia. Bournemouth Beach in England took ninth place, while Palombaggia in Corsica came in last.
Quotezone representative Helen Rolf noted that tourists are increasingly seeking destinations that combine pleasant weather, picturesque coastlines, and affordable vacation costs. According to the study’s authors, Montenegro was able to outrank more well-known resorts primarily due to relatively low costs and Mogren’s convenient location near Budva.
Data from Tripadvisor, Budget Your Trip, Numbeo, and climate and mapping services were used to calculate the index. Each country was represented by one popular beach, so the ranking reflects a comparison of a specific sample of ten destinations, rather than all of Europe’s beaches.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3395
The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, became one of the biggest tourism events of the year for Spain and Iceland, causing a sharp increase in short-term rental bookings in cities located within the totality zone.
According to a study by the analytics platform AirDNA, published on July 29, 2026, demand for short-term rentals in Zaragoza, Spain, for dates around the eclipse rose by 123% compared to the same period last year. In Logroño, the increase reached 109%; in Burgos, 65%; in Valladolid, 64%; and in León, 63%. In Kópavogur, Iceland, the figure rose by 48%, and in Reykjavík, by 44%.
The path of totality will pass through Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, and a small section of northeastern Portugal. In most other European countries, the eclipse will be partial. Spain will be one of the prime viewing locations, as the total eclipse phase will cross the country from west to east and continue over the Balearic Islands.
The strongest impact on rental prices is expected in Iceland. The western and southern regions of the country, which fall within the path of totality, account for about 60.6% of the national supply of short-term rentals.
At the same time, the country’s entire market consists of only about 8,300 available properties. Given the limited supply, even a short-term influx of tourists could significantly increase the average cost of accommodation nationwide.
AirDNA expects that Iceland will see the most significant increase in the average daily rental rate. Additional demand is being driven not only by foreign tourists but also by residents, as a total solar eclipse has not been observed in Iceland for over half a century.
Interest is also extending to related events. A week before the eclipse, more than 90% of tickets for a four-day themed festival in Iceland had already sold out.
In Spain, approximately 86,300 short-term rental properties fall within the path of totality, representing 22.6% of the country’s total supply, which AirDNA estimates at roughly 382,400 listings.
Thus, in the Spanish eclipse zone alone, there are more than 16 times as many properties available as in Iceland’s entire short-term rental market. This allows Spain to accommodate significantly more tourists and keeps price increases in check, despite high demand.
Among the destinations expected to be in highest demand are Bilbao, León, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Palma de Mallorca. Madrid and Barcelona are outside the path of totality, although a partial eclipse will be visible there as well.
Spain also has a more extensive network of air connections and a significantly larger supply of hotels and rental properties. Therefore, analysts consider it a more suitable option for travelers who book their trip immediately before the event.
However, the cost of specific accommodations can change rapidly. Property owners and management companies use dynamic pricing, automatically raising rates as demand increases and the number of available options decreases.
To assess the potential impact, AirDNA used data on the total solar eclipse in North America in April 2024. At that time, the occupancy rate for short-term rental properties in the total eclipse zone reached 88%, and the average daily rate increased by 18.4%. These figures are not a direct forecast for Europe, but they demonstrate the impact of a rare astronomical event on local rental markets.
The official primary source of data on the short-term rental market is the AirDNA study dated July 29, 2026. The eclipse path has been confirmed by the European Space Agency and NASA.
The booking rate for vacation rentals along Spain’s coast for August 2026 reached 85.5%, which is 1 percentage point higher than the figure for the same period last year, according to a study by the Rentalia platform published on July 29. The study is based on an analysis of availability calendars for apartments and vacation homes located no more than 15 km from Spanish beaches. In August 2025, the share of booked properties stood at 84.5%.
The highest occupancy rate was recorded in Mallorca, where 99% of vacation rentals were booked for the last month of summer. Next are the Asturian coast at 95.6%, Menorca at 94.6%, Lanzarote at 93.5%, and the province of Alicante at 92.2%.
In Murcia, the booking rate reached 89.1%; in Cantabria, 88.3%; in Cádiz, 87.5%; on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, 86.8%; and in Almería, 86.5%. In Fuerteventura, the figure matches the national average at 85.5%, and on the Costa Brava, it stands at 85%.
The greatest number of available last-minute booking options remains on the coast of the province of Huelva, where 44.7% of accommodations are occupied. Relatively low occupancy rates were also recorded in Tenerife (72.4%), the province of Valencia (72.6%), the Costa Dorada in Tarragona (76.7%), and the Barcelona coast (77.9%).
Almudena Ucha, director of Rentalia, attributes the rise in demand for northern regions of Spain to the intense summer heat. Occupancy rates for vacation rentals in Asturias rose by 4.7 percentage points over the year, and in Cantabria by 4 points, as tourists are increasingly opting for cooler destinations. Among properties with air conditioning, 86.7% were booked for August, and among those with a pool, 85% were booked. The booking rate for rural homes in Spain’s inland regions was even higher, reaching 87.6%.
Data source: a study by Rentalia, a vacation rental platform on Idealista
The European Commission is developing a new legislative framework that will allow national, regional, and municipal authorities to restrict short-term housing rentals in areas facing particularly sharp price increases and a shortage of apartments for permanent residents.
The initiative will be part of the future European Affordable Housing Act, which the European Commission plans to present in 2026. The document is intended to help authorities identify areas under housing pressure based on publicly available statistical data and take measures commensurate with the scale of the problem.
This does not mean a blanket ban on Airbnb, Booking.com, or other services across the entire European Union. The European Commission intends to create a legal framework within which cities and regions can independently regulate short-term rentals without violating the rules of the single European market.
In particular, municipalities should be given greater legal certainty when imposing restrictions in areas where tourist rentals reduce the housing supply for local residents. Possible measures will be determined taking into account the local situation, the interests of the tourism sector, and the principle of proportionality.
During the consultations, representatives of cities and regions called on the European Commission to develop a list of tools compatible with EU legislation. They also emphasized the need to take into account the differences between major tourist centers, small towns, and rural areas.
The drafting of the Affordable Housing Act is proceeding in parallel with the implementation of previously approved EU rules on the collection of information regarding short-term rentals. EU Regulation No. 2024/1028 will take effect on May 20, 2026. It provides for the creation of digital registration systems for landlords and the exchange of data between platforms and government agencies.
In countries that implement such registration, property owners must obtain a unique property number and include it in their listings. Online platforms are required to display and verify these numbers, conduct random checks, and remove listings at the request of authorities if they do not comply with established rules.
Platforms must also submit monthly data on the number of guests and booked nights via a single national digital gateway. This will allow municipalities to assess the actual scale of short-term rentals and make data-driven decisions.
However, the current regulation primarily governs registration and the exchange of information. It does not, in and of itself, establish EU-wide limits on the number of apartments available for rent or the permitted number of nights.
According to the European Commission, short-term rentals already account for about a quarter of all tourist accommodation supply in the EU.
In 2025, 951.6 million guest nights were booked through Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and other major online platforms. Compared to 2024, this figure increased by 11.4%.
The European Commission acknowledges that this market generates income for property owners, expands options for tourists, and supports local businesses. At the same time, the high concentration of short-term rentals in historic centers and popular resorts may reduce the supply of apartments for permanent residence and contribute to rising prices.
According to the European Affordable Housing Plan, the number of short-term rental bookings through the largest platforms increased by more than 90% between 2018 and 2024. Professional operators account for more than 45% of listings, even though they represent a minority of property owners.
Once the new legislation is adopted, the rules will depend not only on the country but also on the situation in a specific city or district. In tourist destinations with a housing shortage, local authorities will potentially be able to impose stricter requirements regarding registration, licensing, and rental duration. In regions where there is a shortage of tourist accommodations and short-term rentals support the local economy, restrictions may be significantly fewer.
The growth potential for the market capitalization of Transcarpathia’s tourism clusters over the next three years could reach 40–50%, and 60% for the Skole District in Lviv Oblast, according to the study “Promised vs. Real” by Ribas Invest and Ribas Hotels Group.
As explained to the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency, this level of market capitalization is driven by growing tourism demand in regions where competition among professional developers remains minimal.
“The market has learned to look not where everything has already been built, but where infrastructure is just taking shape. The difference in land prices between overheated and new locations is now as much as tenfold—this is the ‘window’ for entry before capital floods in,” explained Artur Lupashko, founder of Ribas Hotels Group.
As part of a comprehensive audit of Ukraine’s hotel and recreational development sector, Ribas Invest has identified clusters of locations where entry costs have not yet peaked, despite rapidly growing demand. These include, in particular, the Sinyak–Pylypets–Podobovets corridor in Zakarpattia, the Skole–Tukhlya corridor in Lviv Oblast, and the Kaniv–Cherkasy corridor along the Dnipro River.
According to the study, the average price per 100 square meters of land in the village of Polyanytsia (Bukovel) is $25,000–45,000, in Pylypets—$3,500–6,000, and in the Skole District—$1,500–3,000. The difference in land prices between these locations reaches 1,000%, while the cost of renting a ready-to-use room differs by only 20–25%.
Researchers also note that by 2026, Zakarpattia will have upgraded rail and road logistics, which will make the region comparable to Ivano-Frankivsk in terms of accessibility—at one-third the cost of assets.
Other promising destinations include the Shatsk–Svitiaz lake region in Volyn, the suburbs of Kyiv, and the Odesa coast, where demand is driven by the desire for safe suburban getaways and energy-independent real estate.
Ribas Hotels Group—founded in 2014 in Odesa—is an international full-cycle hotel management company and a hotel business ecosystem. It integrates the entire process—from site selection, design, and construction to management, franchising, and investment.
Ribas Hotels Group is the only hotel group that independently handles all stages of creating and developing hotel projects.
The company’s portfolio includes 56 projects currently under construction, in the launch phase, or under management, including locations in Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, and Bali. The company develops 3-, 4-, and 5-star city and resort hotels under the brands Ribas Hotels, Ribas Rooms, WOL home + hotel, and Mandra Moments.
The operator’s total room inventory exceeds 1,000 rooms.
HOTEL, INVESTMENT, RIBAS, Skole District, TOURISM, ZAKARPATTIA
