Ukrainian Incentives team were exhibiting this year at IMEX in Frankfurt.

IMEX is one of main important for MICE and Meeting Industry exhibitions.

Main thing for us about this IMEX2023 that tourism is changing its role.

It’s not a quick process, but it is already unstoppable. Travellers and companies and corporates, who arrange MICE events – they all want to create legacy. People and companies want make a positive impact.

And this is the message, which Ukraine brought this year at IMEX.

2 cities, represented at IMEX this year: Lviv and Kyiv.

LVIV moto can be seen on the booth: let’s create legacy together. And it is a very deep meaning there.

Lviv opened 2 centers for rehabilitation of Ukrainian warriors, where they put prostheses. And it is really HUGE need in it with everything, what is going on at the frontline in Ukraine.

One of them, UNBROKEN is for 10000 warriors and it is already highly overloaded.

Medical experts from around the world come to volunteer from several days to several months in this center. So if you know medical experts, who can be interested abd can help, please, spread the word.

KYIV region is a pilot for solidarity & volunteer tourism, which is new way of responsible travel, when people come NOT ONLY for see beautiful destination (which Ukraine definitely is), but also to show solidarity with Ukrainian people and help communities and territories, suffered from war.

This was the topic of our presentation at IMEX. If you missed it, but want to know more, you can find information here:
https://dmc.ukrainian-incentives.com.ua/en/volunteer-tourism/

Important now to tell MICE planners and corporate clients for this way of meaningful travel, so they can start thinking now in order to come to Ukraine tomorrow.

Seems that’s it’s only days since we all were on the wave of Eurovision Song Contest and voted for favourite songs. Liverpool made an absolute great job, hosting Eurovision-2023 on behalf of Ukraine.
Ukrainian song and participation was very symbolic for us with song “Heart of Steel”, telling the story about Azovstal and Ukraine with global message “Open Your Heart for Ukraine”.

Ukrainian Incentives is very proud to be part of this project of “Brand Ukraine”, which represented Ukraine at Ukrainian village in Liverpool with great activities:
– Interactive installations and photozone Ukraine.ua with 37000 visitors, willing to know about Ukrainian culture

– tasting Ukrainian traditional dishes, including famous borsch, vareniki and chebureki from Crimean tatars, native people of Crimea
– digital campaigns “Open Your Heart for Ukraine” and “theUnityWave”

We’ve arranged logistical support for Brand Ukraine team and very proud of our cooperation!

ПОДЯКА

A year ago this territory was deoccupied and it became possible to see all ruinations and damage here, in this landscape park and in village Motyzhin, where it is located. There were awful days, but thousands of tulips, planted in autumn before war, started to bloom, near the ruins. Life won.

So here in Ukraine, we continue to create a better future, daily.

During solidarity action, we all together:

• planted aromatic herbs and learnt a lot about dozens of different herbs. presented pots with plants to citizents of Motyzhin village to plant near the school
• made master-class of Petrykivka painting
• donated tournaments to military unit of Armed Forces of Uktaine
• tasted borsch with these herbs
• enjoyed aromatic herb tea

Both cooked at field kitchen, donated to Armed Forces of Ukraine

• enjoyed special concert

And, of course, made tons of pictures 🙂

#Ukraine is so beautiful  in May !

And each second we remember that there are lot of cities and territories, where russians left nothing.  But we know, what we are fighting for. For our better FREE future to live on our own.

Join us for future solidarity events in Ukraine

Quite often question: what are examples of solidarity events
Yesterday, together with lot of colleagues and organizations – members of Network of development of solidarity & volunteer tourism in Ukraine, we planted trees on the embankment of Irpin, town in Kyiv region extremely suffered during 1^st month of full-scale war.
It’s very Easter-symbolic – reborn, rebuilt, revive, recover Ukraine.

We planted Guilder rose, which is very symbolic for Ukraine. Kalyna – Ukrainian name for guelder rose. Song about kalyna for us is one of the symbols of resistance of Ukrainians during this war. Therefore, we planted Kalyna’s in Irpin.

Good work at open-air requires good picnic – solidarity with restaurant Nevynnyi Kit, which was completely destroyed during Russian occupation in Irpin. Catering for this picnic is ordered from them – this helps them to restore their business and open it in a new place in same town. 
Borsch with kalyna, pie with kalyna, drinks with kalyna – really tasty and symbolic.

Field kitchen, where borsch was cooked open-air, is part of a solidarity too. Such field kitchens are bought for donations and sent to divisions of Armed Forces of Ukraine. This one was even painted by famous Petrykivka master – again kalyna in this unique Petrykivska style.

So what is solidarity event:
– to see the place and help to restore & reNew it
– to support local communities to restore their businesses and normal way of life
– to enjoy communication with local people
-to involve local suppliers and art-masters
– to be inspired and bring positive mood&energy to create better future
-to start creating this future NOW

We thank Network of Solidairy&Volunteer Tourism development in Ukraine and ALL people&organizations, took part in organization of this event.

#solidarityEvent #tourism #solidarutyTourism #volunteerTourism #Ukraine #UkraineNow #Irpin #HappyEaster #Easter #EasterInUkraine #sustainability #sustainableEvent #EventInUkraine #UA #солідарнийТуризм #волонтерськийТуризм #Ірпінь #KyivRegion #Kyiv #PlantTree

At the Place2go – međunarodni sajam turizma in Zagreb 20-24 of March 2024

Ukrainian team had big interest from media during 2 day of exhibition and here is the first article in Pipeaway about tourism to Ukraine (link in comments) with our director Marina Antonyuk comments in it

https://www.pipeaway.com/tourism-of-ukraine-after-war/?fbclid=IwAR037W92RBSuc20Ud4JuOfTR2iI1wbCp3xMXApVHt_wNSqibHVz6583ZNmM

We will be part of Ukraine booth at Balttour in Riga on 03-05FEB2023

Meet Marina Antonyuk there at booth K5

At Ukrainian Incentives booth at Balttour 2023 you can

– participate in daily draw of art souvenir and win 1 creative set for painting of Ukrainian artists daily
– get a bite of Ukrainian bravery
– receive a postcard from Ukraine
– discover about new form of meaningful & responsible travel – solidarity & volunteer tourism, which

• brings real help to communities, suffered from war
• protects Cultural Heritage
• memorializes the national memory of the war
• works as a tool of informational resistance as travelers can see the truth
• helps to recover economics of the country

Contact us to learn more: Marina Antonyuk m.antonyuk@ukrainian–incentives.com.ua

Kyiv was listed among World Best Cities as 2023 Honorary Best City

(c)
The historic Ukrainian capital is the urban beacon of courage and resilience leading a defiant nation against a murderous aggressor. It is, like the rest of Ukraine, a place of inexhaustible courage in the face of daily tragedy.

https://www.worldsbestcities.com/rank…/worlds-best-cities/

#Kyiv #WorldBestCity #Ukraine #UkraineNOW #2023HonoraryBestCity

Next stage in development of solidarity & volunteer tourism in Ukraine.

Together with colleagues we signed the Memorandum and declared our participation in the Network Cooperation on the protection of the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine by means of solidarity and volunteer tourism in the context of the solidarity economy in war and post-war times within USAID Project “Economic Support of Ukraine” 

The main goal is “to unite the efforts of all interested parties to support the development of culture and preventing the destruction of the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine due to the full-scale military aggression of Russia and to create a communication platform between the business environment, communities, educational institutions, “third party” organizations, state institutions, grant-giving organizations, representatives of the international community, regarding the development of solidarity and volunteer tourism as an innovative the concept of revival of tourism and support of territorial communities in war and post-war times in Ukraine”

Ukrainian Incentives DMC takes following obligations together from colleagues from travel industry:

– development of travel routes for affected regions and places of memory, considering the necessary ethical boundaries and rules and preliminary discussions with the local community about the importance of investment and publicity to avoid further trauma from potential tourists’ visits

– training of guides that will work with solidarity tours in the affected regions and places of memory

– promoting the preservation of places of memory

– working on security issues and finding relevant organizations that can provide certified confirmation that the territories/locations planned for visiting and volunteer tourism are cleared of dangerous and/or explosive objects, the mine-free zones, etc.

Nowadays we are focused on volunteering and social needs.

As board member of Associaion we actively support this initiative and fundraising for rehabilitation camps for Ukrainian children.
It is easy to help!

Together with Association of Incoming Tour Operators we take part in organizing rehabilitation camps for Ukrainian children from occupied and dangerous regions of Ukraine and children of Ukrainian warriors. These are most vulnerable categories and they need rehabilitation at most as these children were extremely influenced both mentally and physically by war.

Children – future of the nation, therefore we decided to put our attention and efforts to this humanitarian task and to use our tourism skills for organizing such camps, where children can safely relax at least a week or two in friendly atmosphere in beautiful places, visiting touristic sights, walking at the nature, passing quests, playing  safely under professional guidance of teachers and psychologists.

This project is initiated by us, members of the Association of Incoming tour operators of Ukraine, and is fully financed by charity donations.

How to support this project:
– if you are hotel or resort in Ukraine or abroad and you can provide free or really discounted accommodation
– if you are working for a fund, which can support this project
– if you know such a fund and can share a contact
– by donating https://en.aitoukraine.org/support-us Important: payments should be indicated “charity donation”

Besides the very important goal of rehabilitating children, the project is also extremely important for the tourism community. Kids camps project also supports tourism industry of Ukraine, which is significantly suffering now too.

Ukrainian tourism is paused now. And, of course, we believe in its revival just after our Victory.
But in order to re-start tourism industry immediately after the Victory, support is needed now.

Camps include accommodation, meals, trainings and some sightseeing, so it means some hotels, guides, museums will get some turnover to survive as business during these hard times.
It is critical to support all the stakeholders of Ukrainian tourism industry, and, most importantly, to keep professional personnel in the industry.

Therefore, our initiative with the organization of camps in Ukraine is also a support of the tourist community, both financially and psychologically.

We highly appreciate your efforts in helping Ukraine now!