In 1997 Ukraine became a Full Member of the World Tourism Organization.
Apart from legislative basis, Ukraine has a well-developed tourist infrastructure. At present there are lots of hotels, motels, camping grounds, tourist bases, tourist centers, restaurants, bars, canteens, cars and buses available to serve tourists.
There are many places of interest in Ukraine: historic and architectural sites, monuments, ancient castles and churches, museums and art galleries. The Black Sea and the Crimea are considered an ideal place for mountaineering, mountain bicycling, rock climbing and diving. The Carpathian mountains are a traditional place for skiing; there are famous ski resorts in Slavske and Bukovel.
Truskavets, Morshyn, Skhidnytsa are popular spa resorts in West Ukraine.
Besides, we have 33 National Parks, Biosphere and Nature Reserves in Ukraine. The most famous are “Askania-Nova”, “Shatskyi”, “Krymskyi”, “Karpatskyi”, “Chornomorskyi”.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURIST INDUSTRY IN THE LVIV REGION
Lviv region has favourable conditions for the development of tourist industry. It is an ecologically clean area, not touched by the Chernobyl catastrophe.
The Carpathian Mountains, part of which is located in the Lviv region, has a large tourist potential. There are famous mountain-skiing centers: Slavske, Skole, Hrebeniv, Tukhlia, Rozluch, Dovhe, Tysovets. In Maydan, Sambir, Zadvirya, Polianytsia, Roztochia there are national parks with rare animals. Mountains attract tourists not only in winter but in summer too, when they can climb mountains, pick mushrooms and berries, and enjoy healthy mountainous air.
Lviv region is famous for its medicinal mineral waters. Truskavets, Morshyn, Skhidnytsa, Liuben Velyky and Shklo are popular spa towns in Eastern Europe. A big number of sanatoria, rest homes, health resorts, tourist bases are built in this area.
Very interesting for tourists are reconstructed castles in Olesko, Pidhirtsi, Svirzh, Zolochiv, Zhovkva, the Krekhiv Monastery. Tourists are often taken to the High Castle in Lviv.
The development of tourist business is based on a wide network of hotels, campings and rest homes. Most hotels are located in Lviv, Truskavets and in the Carpathian Mountains. In Truskavets, hotels are linked in a sanatorium-hotel complex “Truskavetskurort”.
77 tourist firms work in the region. They offer a great variety of tourist services.
A BRIEF TRAVEL HISTORY
Travel as activities away from home began around 8000 BC (after the Agricultural Revolution) when human beings became settled farmers and built their permanent homes.
In the ancient world people traveled for various purposes, such as pleasure, trade, scientific exploration, and religious pilgrimage. The ancient Romans and Greeks were considered to be the most famous ancient pleasure seekers. Travel in Europe during Roman times was fast, easy, and safe, because Romans introduced a network of well-maintained stone-paved and metalled roads that facilitated leisure travel in the Roman Empire.
After the decline of the Roman Empire, during the so-called dark Ages travel became difficult and dangerous because of the deterioration of the roads and bandits’ attacks on travelers. People traveled mainly for religious pilgrimage in the medieval Europe.
In the epoch of Renaissance (14th – 17th centuries) art, literature, philosophy, and scientific ideas became very important. People wanted to explore, discover, and understand other places. The sailing of Christopher Columbus in 1492 started the great age of exploration and the advent of capitalism. This period was characterized as the opening of sea travel.
In the 17th – 18th centuries it was fashionable for the upper classes to visit the European cultural, artistic, musical, and government centers to increase knowledge of the world. This was the so-called Grand Tour of Europe. When Thomas Cook organized his first excursion from Leicester to Loughborough in 1841, he probably didn’t know that he was starting mass tourism.
Nowadays tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TOURISM
Nowadays tourism is one of the fastest growing economic activities. It is one of the biggest earners of foreign currency in many countries. Each year domestic and international travelers spend a lot of money for transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and incidental purchases related to travel.
Tourism provides employment. Millions of people have jobs in this sector. In the USA the travel and tourism industry is the country’s second-largest employer after health services. In Ukraine the number of people engaged in tourism service is around 75 000, and over 2000 people work as guides and interpreters.
Job creation encourages the development of small and medium business. There are a lot of companies, joint ventures engaged in tourism business. There are projects of building and reconstructing international tourist centers, bases, hotels, motels, camping grounds, etc.
International cooperation in the field of tourism is very important. Generally speaking, tourism is a powerful driver of both economic and social change. Revenue generation, job creation, infrastructure improvement, and cultural exchange are the major economic and social benefits to the destination areas.
POLITICAL SYSTEM AND NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF UKRAINE
Ukraine is a sovereign state. Its independence was proclaimed on August 24, 1991. There are 26 administrative regions and the Crimean autonomous republic in Ukraine. The power in the country is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judiciary.
The main legislative body is Verkhovna Rada, which consists of 450 deputies. The elections to Verkhovna Rada are held every four years. The deputies are elected by equal, secret and direct ballot.
The head of the state and the highest executive body is the president. He can veto any decision of the Parliament. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine. He also represents the state in international relations. The other part of the executive branch is the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the prime minister. The Cabinet of Ministers may introduce bills to Verkhovna Rada.
The judiciary power belongs to the Constitutional court, the Supreme Court and regional courts. The Constitution is the main law of Ukraine.
The national symbols of Ukraine are the National Flag, the Ukrainian Anthem and the National Emblem of Ukraine. The National Ukrainian Flag first appeared in 1848. It is of two colours: blue and yellow. They symbolize peace and wealth.
The Ukrainian Anthem is a song “Shche ne vmerla Ukraina” (Ukraine has not yet perished). Its lyrics were written by Pavlo Chubynskyi and the music was written by Mykhailo Verbytskyi.
The National Emblem of Ukraine is a trident. It symbolizes strength and power. The classic shape of the Ukrainian trident was found on the coins of Volodymyr the Great, who ruled in the Xth century.
UKRAINE’S CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
Ukraine’s customs and traditions have become an integral part of the national culture. They reflect the experience of many generations of people who lived in the country during its long history.
National traditions are like a heart of the national culture. They determine the way people live: their language, life values, social relationships, material goods – food, clothes, buildings, tools, etc.
They also influence the way people raise their children. Ukrainians are traditionally family oriented people. Pretty often parents (or grandparents) live together with their children and help them to take care of the kids. According to the Ukrainian customs the wife does the cleaning and cooking, while the husband is responsible for all “technical jobs”. Among younger generations to work around the house together is more typical.
Ukrainians are well known for their hospitality. They love to invite people to their homes or visit their friends or relatives. Traditionally they put all the best food on the table and feed the guest once he has entered their house. Ukrainians parties are not about food only. It is a long process with plenty of eating, drinking, and conversation. The Ukrainian cuisine is based on a combination of fresh or pickled fruit and vegetables, meat, mushrooms, and herbs. In Ukraine people tend to eat fatty food, such as whole milk, sour cream, butter, etc. They like to eat salo (pork fat). Sometimes Ukrainians joke: “Salo is our national pride”. Ukrainians also respect bread very much. The cult of bread is well observed in Ukrainian rituals. Hosts often give their guests a loaf of bread with salt on the top – this is a ceremony of welcome which dates back many centuries. During wedding ceremonies in Ukraine a traditional bread called Korovai is served, which symbolizes a new-family birth and its future prosperity.
Ukraine’s customs and traditions determine the style of public behavior. Ukrainians are brought up to avoid attracting attention to themselves. They usually speak quietly in public. To sit or lay on the floor is inappropriate in public places. People in the streets don’t smile too much. However, the ability to form warm informal relationships is the main feature of the Ukrainian national character.
Ukrainians have many holidays: New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Easter, May Day, Victory Day. One of the greatest state holidays is Independence Day.
BRITISH TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
British nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. British people are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and measures.
Some of British customs are very old. There is, for example, the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned – he wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music sounds.
Another example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team from Cambridge University hold a race.
British people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes it happens the same day as the Boat Race takes place, sometimes a week later. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys can participate.
Halloween is the night of October 31st. It is celebrated by children, who dress in unusual costumes and go from house to house saying ‘trick or treat’ in order to get sweets. In the past, people believed the souls of dead people appeared on Halloween.
Another tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night. It happens on November 5th, when people in Britain light fireworks and burn a guy (made of sacks and straw) on a large outdoor fire.
At the end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve. There is singing and dancing at 12 o’clock on December 31 st.
Christmas Day, December 25, is probably the most popular holiday in Great Britain. It is a merry family holiday. Traditionally all relatives and friends give each other presents.
A popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama, which takes place every year, and the Highland Games, which is a festival held every year since the beginning of the 19th century in different towns in northern Scotland with competitions in sports, music and dancing. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best poem in Welsh.