It is a well-known fact that tourism can be a deadly foe as much as a firm friend in the matter of development.

Considering the economic might of the tourist industry - now regarded as the biggest in the world ahead of automobiles and chemicals - careful attention should be paid to this many-sided phenomenon with its global repercussions.

The impact of tourism is such that progressive strategies are vitally needed in order to prepare the ground for genuinely progressive international, regional and local strategies.

It is UNESCO's intention to assist the 191 Member States in preparing their policies while reconsidering the relationship between tourism and cultural diversity, tourism and intercultural dialogue, and tourism and development.

In this way, the Organization proposes to contribute to the fight against poverty, protection of the environment and mutual appreciation of cultures.

Potentially, Ukraine can be among European countries with powerful tourist industry.

Its cultural heritage includes numerous historical monuments of international significance: the cathedrals and monasteries of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, Pereiaslav, Kamianets and other ancient cities; the palaces of Livadia and Bagcesaray, of Zhovkva and Pidhirtsi, of Baturyn and Kachanivka; the mediaeval and Renaissance castles of Bilhorod and Sudak, Ostrog and Lutsk, Olesko and Khotyn, Mukacheve and Uzhgorod, and many other beautiful and memorial places can be tourist attractions for much more people than they are today.

The recreational resources of Ukraine include the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, Crimea and Carpathian mountains, several great rivers with picturesque valleys (Dnieper, Dnister, Southern Bug, Siversky Donets), the internationally renown spas of Truskavets and Morshyn, and much more.

Traditionally, tourist industry in Ukraine was oriented towards the provision of cheap mass services for millions of Soviet citizens, usually organized in big groups.

There was no competition, no market regulation of prices and quality of services. The demand for recreational services was much higher than the supply, especially since 1970s when the incomes of Soviet people became relatively higher.

The centralized and planned Soviet economy was incapable of meeting the growing demand, so the so-called ‘wild tourism' (when people would come to the Black Sea coast, lease a private room with shared kitchen, or even place a tent near the sea and cook their food on fire) became a mass practice.

Another very popular Soviet form of tourism was kayak trips on bigger and cleaner rivers somewhere in Karelia, the Urals or southern Siberia.

The results of these  peculiarities of Soviet tourist/recreational  tradition were millions of unpretentious, hardened ‘tourists' that grew in all former Soviet republics, and have traditionally been the customers that Ukrainian tourist industry would always count on, till perhaps recent years when hundreds of thousands of middle class Ukrainians discovered the resorts of Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Croatia.

Until 2000-2001, Ukrainian tourist industry was in decline. Total number of entry tourists decreased from 12.1 ml in 1997 down to 6.014 ml in 1999. Of these, almost 80% were tourists from the CIS states, mostly from Russia, Belarus and Moldova.

With economic recovery of Ukraine and Russia (main starting points for tourists coming to Ukrainian resorts) the situation began to change for better.  During 2002-2005, the number of enter tourists in Ukraine grew by 25% and reached 17.6 million.

The structure of the flow of enter tourists also changed in 2004: the share of tourists from CIS countries dropped from 69% to 62%, while the share of European tourists grew by 44% and reached 36% (was 28% of the total number of foreign tourists in 2004).

The abolition of entry visas for EU and US citizens also gave a boost to foreign tourism in Ukraine in 2005.

Still, the number of registered tourist enterprises is constantly growing: 428 touring operators and 830 touring agents were registered in 2005 alone, making total number of touring enterprises almost 3.5 thousand.

Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in co-operation with the Ministry of Economy and Labor of Germany, is currently implementing the TACIS-Twinning project ‘Development of information facilities for tourist industry through the creation of the network of tourist information centers'. The goal of this program is launching an effective system of dissemination of tourist information.

Ukraine joined European Tourist Commission in October 2005, which is a move of strategic importance, because of the opportunities to use European mechanisms of support of tourist industry and to promote Ukrainian tourist opportunities in Europe.