In Odessa and the Odessa region, the number of tourists this year has increased by 18% compared with last year. This was stated on a TV broadcast by Taras Lozynskyi, First Deputy Head of the State Tourism Development Agency.
According to him, Ukrainians traditionally prioritise the Carpathian region — Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions — for travel because these destinations are considered safe. At the same time, tourists also continue to choose Odessa and the Odessa region.
“Odessa and the Odessa region show quite good growth compared with last year. According to local authorities, there’s been an 18% increase in the number of tourists. This is due to some beaches being opened for visitors this year — that is, safe beaches,” Lozynskyi said.
The head of the State Tourism Development Agency also noted that in the first half of 2025, Ukraine’s tourism tax reached 146 million hryvnias, driven mainly by domestic tourism.
“If we talk about the first half of the year, the amount of tourism tax reached 146 million hryvnias. Compared with the same period last year, it was 106 million — that is, more than 40 million more than the previous comparable period. There is a positive dynamic: tourism is growing, domestic tourism is growing — and that is encouraging,” Lozynskyi said.
He reminded viewers that the tourism tax is primarily a local tax paid by tourists and goes to community budgets.
“We try to run information campaigns, to raise awareness about the need to pay the tourism tax and, in the future, about its targeted use by local communities for the development of the tourism sector,” the official noted.
Among the leaders in tourism tax revenue is Kyiv, Lozynskyi stressed, highlighting that business tourism is well developed there, with many events, activities and hotels officially paying the tax.
