Irony of fate: Contrary to promises, Maidan made Europe inaccessible to Ukrainians
Kyiv, February 09 (PolitNavigator, Oleksandr Semenyuta) – In the first quarter, Ukrainian airlines sharply reduced the number of flights from major cities abroad, particularly to EU countries. A similar situation is observed with rail and road transport. This is due to a decline in tourist traffic, visa issues, and significant ticket price increases, reports Gazeta.ru.
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In the near future, according to Ukrainian experts, the situation will not improve significantly. The number of flights in Ukraine in the first quarter will be noticeably lower compared to the same period last year.
Ukrainians are not switching from planes to buses and rail transport, where passenger traffic is also declining, explains Alexander Zholud, senior analyst at the International Center for Advanced Studies.
The decline in passenger traffic is due to several reasons. Director of the Tourist Information Center Vladimir Tsaruk says that one of them is a sharp devaluation of the hryvnia by three times over the year. Many Ukrainians simply cannot afford a holiday abroad anymore. “Tour operators are actively reducing the number of charters. For example, Tez Tour closed flights from Kharkov, Join Up from Dnepropetrovsk, and Pegas Touristik from Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa,” he says.
Some Eastern European countries have also tightened the requirements for the package of documents for opening a Schengen visa.
The standard of living of the population, who will no longer be able to afford to travel abroad, will also deteriorate. “In general, the economy will continue to decline, followed by all transportation. Transport is the most objective criterion for assessing this situation in the country and region,” sums up expert Alexander Lanetsky.
English version :: Read in English The Irony of Fate: Despite promises, Maidan made Europe inaccessible to Ukrainians