{
  "id": 15781489,
  "title": "Join UP! Ukraine serves over 210,000 tourists this summer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/join-up-ukraine-serves-over-210-000-tourists-this-summer",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T18:02:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Interfax-Ukraine",
    "slug": "interfax-ukraine",
    "url": "https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1223506.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During summer 2026, Join UP! Ukraine served over 210,000 tourists on international package tours. Prices for these tours rose by 8.6% to an average of EUR 620 per person. The increased airfares led tourists to delay bookings, resulting in last-minute discounts and a surge in demand for bus transfers and tours. Iryna Mosulezna, the company's director, noted that they adapted their programs to meet these demands throughout the summer.\n\nLast year, nearly 415,000 Ukrainians utilized Join UP! Ukraine's services. July saw the highest tourist numbers, with more than 50,000 Ukrainians traveling abroad. Türkiye topped the list of preferred destinations, surpassing Egypt, which held the top spot the previous year. Other popular destinations included Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Montenegro, Tunisia, Cyprus, and Albania. In 2025, the top five destinations were Egypt, Türkiye, Greece, Bulgaria, and Montenegro. This summer, Spain replaced Montenegro in the top five.\n\nThe average price of an international package tour in 2026 was UAH 29,800 (EUR 620) per tourist, an increase of 8.6% compared to the previous year. The lowest starting prices per tourist were in Türkiye (UAH 14,750), followed by Egypt (UAH 19,950) and Greece (UAH 20,120). Montenegro and Spain started at higher rates (UAH 21,400 and UAH 34,450, respectively).\n\nChisinau Airport emerged as a key hub for Ukrainian tourists, with 58.1% of departures originating from there, up from 55% in 2025. Polish airports saw a decline in popularity, with Rzeszow dropping to 6.7% of departures from 12% last year and Warsaw falling to 2.3% from 5%.\n\nLogistical challenges arose due to mass train delays, particularly in August, leading to a surge in demand for organized bus transfers. More than 26,000 tourists utilized Join UP! Ukraine's bus tours, with popular departure cities being Kyiv, Lviv, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Uzhgorod.\n\nWestern regions of Ukraine remained the top destinations for domestic tourism, with trips lasting two to three days, except for health and wellness resorts, which had longer stays of seven to 14 days. The average price of a tour per person during this summer season was approximately UAH 14,000. Tourists prioritized hotels offering a wide range of services, such as spas, swimming pools, meals, and children's entertainment programs. The demand for pet-friendly hotels also increased. Egypt remains the leading destination for the upcoming winter season, followed by interest in exotic destinations like Vietnam and Zanzibar. Join UP! Ukraine, established in 2013, serves more than 8 million tourists globally and partners with nearly 10,000 travel agencies.",
  "summary": "More than 210,000 tourists used the services of Join UP! Ukraine during the summer 2026 season, from May through September inclusive, while the average price of an international package tour increased by 8.6% to EUR 620, the tour operator's press service told Interfax-Ukraine.",
  "key_points": [
    "Join UP! Ukraine served over 210,000 tourists this summer.",
    "Prices rose 8.6% to EUR 620 per person due to increased airfares.",
    "Chisinau Airport became a key hub for Ukrainian tourists."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}