The impact of Eastern Ukrainian armed conflict on tourism in Ukraine

Abstract

Abstract. This study deals with Ukraine, a European country that in the last years became the scene of sanguinary demonstrations, transition of power and military acts. The armed conflict that evolved in Ukraine in late 2013 and early 2014 spread like wildfire all over the world. International mass elucidated the theme on a daily basis. These events caused a mass of senseless fatalities, this problem is practically unresolved to date, and as a result, the country fell into a deep economic recession. This shook the country population’s sense of security and immediately did away with inbound tourist traffic. This study shows the concrete or secondary influence of the Ukrainian “hybrid war” and the events that followed it on the country’s tourism. This paper shows the changes that occurred in the field of tourism based on the available statistical data. I specifically compared the 2013 statistical data prior to the armed conflict with those of 2017 characterized by stagnation of the conflict intensity; in some cases I present even more recent data.