(listicle article)

“In Ukraine everyone wears bright colours.”
– Olga Kurylenko

“Let’s go somewhere” is the phrase that begins the journey. Ok, tickets are bought, suitcases are packed and the wandering heart rushes forward. Mysterious Turkey, hot Egypt, singing Greece and amazing Albania topped the ranking of tourist preferences of Ukrainians. And what about tourist Ukraine?

According to the State Agency for Tourism Development, 1.42 million foreign tourists visited Ukraine in the first half of 2021, which is 9% more than in the second half of 2020. Travelers from Saudi Arabia, Israel, the USA, Georgia, Armenia and the countries of the Caucasus visited us. Of course, this is a positive trend, but how many Ukrainians have vacationed in their homeland this year? Unfortunately, we don’t know. Just like, and how many tourist attractions of the country can the average Ukrainian name? The Carpathians, the coast of the Sea of Azov, Truskavets, Synevyr, Shatsky lakes, flavored with the urban spirit of Kyiv and Lviv and… There are hundreds of other prepossessing places, but here the desire for long-term development of the tourism industry is shattered by weak PR. Such genres as travel essays and sketches have long since declined, travel television programs are focused on foreign countries, so there is only one hope for travel blogs. But is there anything to see there? I picked up the best video blogs about tourist Ukraine Incognita.

‘Ukraine. The movie — Велика подорож Україною.’ “I used to think I knew a lot about Ukraine. But after this trip I realized that I knew almost nothing,” Artem Shambalyov summed up the two-month trip home. Almost all summer 2020 Artem together with the team devoted to travel around Ukraine. Travelers covered about 6,000 kilometers, crossed 20 areas and shot 70 hours of video. As a result — the creation of a feature film ‘Ukraine’, the movie ‘Great Journey to Ukraine’ and the mobile application ‘Travel.’ The virgin landscapes of Marmaros, urban views of Kharkiv, the Dnieper and the harsh truth about Nevytsky Castle are united in one video series. And the same little-known and heartwarmig attractions of Tustan, Borzhava, Beregovo… To be honest, looking at some shots, I doubted that this was my Homeland! By the way, by downloading the free mobile application, you will get access to 322 locations, plus routes, tips, stories and memorable discoveries.

Video blog of Masha Sebova. Masha Sebova’s YouTube channel ‘All 30’ is based on the philosophy of how to have a cheap and cool vacation in Europe. However, among the videos from foreign vacations, video reports from a trip to Ukraine flash in some places. During the quarantine period, such videos have become more. You can enjoy the atmosphere of such cities of Ukraine as Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv. The blog differs from the previous projects by a more amateur staging, emotionality and the presence of author’s advertising. And the Russian language, which sounds so unusual against the background of the Western Ukraine landscapes. Nevertheless, Masha very nicely introduces us to our country.

Video blog of Iryna Lisova. Journalist Iryna Lisova visited more than 30 countries from Iran and Iceland. And ahead – the dream of a trip around the world. However, at first Iryna wants to get acquainted with the Motherland in more details and introduce it to her audience. Among the current videos – recently edited about the Carpathians. Iryna is a supporter of the quaint authenticity of the Ukrainian Carpathians and national bric-a-brac. Video content about Ukraine is still scarce, but the author shares her thoughts on travel in the telegram channel ‘Ira, where again?’ These are mostly advice, reports, funny stories and curious life hacks. For my part, I will say that Iryna’s blog is gripping and frank.

Of course, there are many more video blogs about touristic Ukraine, but these 3 I liked the most. After watching them, I wanted to pack my suitcase and go around all touristic sires of my fancy homeland! I hope you will have the same desire!