Active Tourism Development in Western Ukraine

Rozvoj aktívneho cestovného ruchu na západnej Ukrajine

Mykhailo Hamkalo

In: Geografické informácie (Geographical Information), Ročník (Volume) 19, Číslo (Issue) 1, 2015, p. 31-39, ISSN 1337-9453

DOI: 10.17846/GI.2015.19.1.31-39

Abstract

Active tourism is one of the most popular tourism types in Western Ukraine. It is facilitated by the diversity and attraction of natural resources as well as rich cultural and historical heritage. Western Ukraine consists of seven oblasts (regions): Volyn, Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia), Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Chernivtsi. Active tourism, especially hiking and skiing, began to develop within this area in the second half of the 19th century. This was facilitated by the emergence of numerous societies that specialized in active leisure promotion: Austrian Tourist Club, Polish Tatra Society, Czechoslovak Tourists Club, Chornohora and Plai. Environmental conditions and resources allow many kinds of active tourism, and considerable financial investments contribute to the emergence and development of ski resorts Bukovel, Plai, Dragobrat, Izki and others. The article analyzes the development of cave tourism; the main cave systems are described.

Keywords: active tourism, Western Ukraine, historical background, cave system

FULL TEXT