According to the UN World Tourism Organization, Ukraine is quickly following in the footsteps of Russia in the tourism department. The country has a population of 48 million people and is quickly becoming a desirable tourist market. The Ukrainian government has started heavily promoting the country as a tourist destination and 23 million people visited the country in 2007. This number is expected to grow and UEFA’s decision to host the Euro 2012 football tournament has resulted in a bunch of new investments, such as hotels with international names such as Intercontinental, Radisson, and Hilton.
The UITT was chosen as the 2008 venue for the launch of the country’s ‘Year of Tourism’. According to the President of Ukraine, Victor Yuschenko, tourism in the country has grown 25% annually. The government is very confident that the market is growing and this year’s exhibition will feature 688 exhibitors from 58 different countries and regions. This is an increase of 40% since the year before. Additionally the Ukraine International Travel Market will be celebrating if 15th edition and it has moved to the International Exhibition Center in Kiev. The move is thanks to the travel markets growth and it brings hotels, SPA, recreation centers, museums and travel agencies from over 40 countries together to promote tourism.
Well, I decided to inquire about what are my compatriots browsing for… And if this top 10 visited Ukrainian web sites can tell anything about Ukrainians. So, here we go.
Continue reading ’10 Most Visited Ukrainian Web Sites’
There’s a song contest in Europe – Eurovision. Not too popular, mostly for the beginners, but in Ukraine it’s taken seriously and the choice who to send to the contest is quite challenging. For example in 2004 (the year of Pomarancheva Revolutsiya) instead of sending a normal Ukrainian Star singer with nice looks and a strong voice Ani Lorak they squeezed the Grynzholy band into the local competition and made them win. Of course guys with Che Guevara stolen music never won a thing. So, the stars.
1. Ruslana
Continue reading ’2 Ukrainian Eurovision Stars’
When you are visiting the Ukraine there are several different monuments that you should visit while you are there. These monuments represent several different things to the people of Ukraine and the history of the nation.
One of these monuments is the Monument to the millions of Ukrainian victims of the Great Famine in 1932-1933. This beautiful monument is located next to the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. Both monuments are located on Tryokhsvyatytel’s’ha Street, 6.
The Monument to the millions of Ukrainian victims of the Great Famine in 1932-1933 is almost always covered with beautiful flowers from visitors to show their love for those that were lost to the famine. The monument is composed of granite stone and made into the form of a beautiful cross and the bronzing script is “Mother-Ukraine with Child.”
Another monument to visit is the beautiful Ukraine Independence Monument. This monument is one of the most notable and beautiful monuments located in the Central Square. This statue is the figure of a Ukrainian woman dress in a national costume. She stands atop a 131 feet column that was made to symbolize the freedom and independence of Ukraine.
Both of these monuments along with several others are things that you would enjoy seeing while on your visit to the beautiful country of the Ukraine.
They are these gnomes that if you turn them on there side they are animals. Anyone know what i'm talking about? i want to know there official name.
Kamyanets-Podilsky is an extremely beautiful ancient town of Ukraine, “a stone flower on the rockâ€, as the famous Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrayinka described it in the beginning of the 20th century.” Stare Misto”, a majestic stone fortress with numerous fortifications and intricate architectural decorations, which dates back to the beginning of the 12th century, is the heart of this medieval place. The fortress, built on a rocky island near the River Smotrych, is just one jewel of Kamyanets-Podilsky. Among other ancient attractions, there are a two millennia old Roman bridge, a Gothic city hall, and a unique minaret featuring the statue of the Virgin Mary. Besides being a military fortress, ancient Kamyanets-Podilsky was also a stronghold of Christianity. In the 17th century, the town had about 15 different churches of Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian Christian confessions, many of which still stand and continue to marvel tourists.
Continue reading ‘Ancient Town of Kamyanets-Podilsky’
While you may know her as a beautiful and soulful singer there is one thing that many of her fans may not know. Before she came into music she was almost lost to the world of sports and music just happened as an afterthought.
When Gaitana was six years old she was passionate about a sport, table tennis as a matter of fact. She played and love the sport right down to the depth of her soul but then she happened upon music or actually music happened upon her.
At the age of 12 she joined a youth musical group only as an afterthought. The director of this youth 
group is the one who made her realized that she was an amazing singer.
Gaitana has always sung ever song from her heart and she loves what she does but how different things would have been had she not tried out for the youth musical group and continued on to be a great sports player at table tennis.
Ukrainian musical folklore is reach for all sorts of songs. No traditional Ukrainian amusement or rite ever passed without a song. Songs were accompanied by traditional musical instruments and the profession of musician always stood high. Here are the instruments Ukrainians are traditionally using to accompany their lives:
1. Kobza
Continue reading ’8 Typical Ukrainian Musical Instruments’
The Third Kyiv Festival will take place 20 – 27 April 2006 in Kyiv at the National Philharmonic Hall and the National Music Academy and will continue the trends established by the earlier festivals.
Background
Once again works by Ukrainian and other composers Continue reading ‘Kyiv Festival 2006′
When you visit friends and relatives in Ukraine – or if you’re there for vacation or a business trip even – don’t be surprised if you are given a pysanka egg to take home. These are the beautiful hand colored eggs that are very popular and traditional in Ukraine and surrounding areas. They are colored using a written-wax batik method and they are meant to be decorative and not to be eaten. Many times the eggs have a small hole in the top and bottom where the egg white and yolk have been blown out.
The custom of decorating the eggs in this fashion date back to the earliest days of Ukraine and many of the patterns that are placed on the eggs date back to the time when the Ukrainian’s worshipped a sun god. Throughout the centuries the eggs took on many symbolic meanings but rebirth was one of the themes that ran throughout the customs to today. Christianity helped change the egg to symbolize not the rebirth of the earth, but the rebirth of man, which is why they are decorated at Easter time with many Christian symbols.
Pysanka eggs are bestowed upon members of the family and highly respected visitors. It is a symbolic gift of life and the meanings on each egg mean something different. They are usually indicative of the character of the person the egg is going to and they are so beautiful and have such a special meaning behind them that you will see pysanka eggs in bowls in just about every public room in a Ukrainian home.
