November 10, 2022 – On October 27 and 28, TCN had the honour of attending the A World for Travel Forum in Nimes, France. With the theme of the forum being sustainability in travel and tourism, there was a lot of talk aimed at climate change, the issues of cross-sector collaboration, involvement of local communities and industries; small businesses were sharing their visions of sustainable travel, companies like Mastercard and Google had their say, you name it – the forum covered it. There was one panel that stood out, though. One topic that made us feel it is just as important now and long-term. One that reminded us of home. A Case Study: Resilience and War, the agenda said, or how Kharkiv in Ukraine is preparing to protect their cultural heritage and monuments in times of crisis.

Sorry, what? Who thinks about tourism in times like that? It turns out it’s those who need to. Sustainability seems to be a lot more than offsetting your carbon footprint, eating locally, or even government policies supporting the development of such tourism. It is a common goal; it is about the ordinary person; it is the realisation that we must support each other. In every sense of the phrase, we must stand together, now and again, to ensure a better future for all. Even if cities fall and disappear, people remain; our culture lives on and becomes our legacy.

On a panel moderated by Peter Greenberg, the CBS News Travel Editor, his guests Yuliia Zghurska (Deputy Director, Kharkiv City Council), and Hon. Yuliya Sosyukina (Goodwill Ambassador, IHRCHQ/Mrs. Universe Monaco 2021) spoke about what the city of Kharkiv is currently facing and what measures have been taken to preserve its culture as much as possible. The most important message: keep sharing, keep spreading the word, help any way you can. Though both lovely Ukrainian ladies were fully booked for interviews on both days, we had a chance to sit down with them and share experiences, stories, frustrations, and feelings of love, respect, and support.

Our conversation started with the reasons why they came to the forum. It is important, they said, because they need to be able to plan their future. The war will be over, and they need to speak about Ukraine, about Kharkiv – now. Kharkiv is the second biggest city in Ukraine and one of its most visited places, with a million tourists annually. Even in these times, they say, tourism in Kharkiv is alive, just with a different definition. Now tourists are the diplomats, journalists, and people who care and want to see what is happening and how they can help. The city’s officials have now become its tourist promotors in an entirely new way. Their primary mission is to save and preserve their country. What a job, huh?

When we mentioned the Homeland war in Croatia, they pointed out that it is now important for other countries who have been through similar events to share their experience, teach Ukraine how to cope, look into the future, and above all, show their support. They do think that Croatia’s Vukovar has set a good example. Memorial tourism, they say, is something we need to accept but must not allow to become the whole identity of a place. And even though it might seem like that in Vukovar, especially in November, the energy of the city and its young minds, we are sure, will drive tourism forward. Just ask any of our friends from the Vukovar 365 series.

A World for Travel

As for Kharkiv, its representatives do believe in its bright future. They carry hope and walk bravely into every new day. Their inspiration, as they say, are Kharkiv’s 30 sister cities all over Europe and the world, some of which have joined the list recently, like Turku in Finland. The financial and humanitarian support from these and many other places make the difference.

And what made the difference for us was meeting these lovely ladies, thinking about resilience and war with them, and witnessing some genuine, warm human moments. The single most memorable one had to be a young Russian stepping up to the Ukrainian ladies to express their full support and heartbreak over the situation. As they pointed out, war has already ruined many lives on both sides of the border, and the longer it goes on, the more it takes away from the everyday human. No one wants war; no one deserves it. We stand with all its victims, equally inspired by Kharkiv’s panel and the words shared between its guests.

If you would like to help, we will share a few links where you can do that. Keep in mind that there are many ways to do so, but do stay wary of scams. If you are looking for other ways, we recommend checking out the lists of verified sources like CNBC or Forbes.

Help Kharkiv:

https://www.helpkharkiv.org/

https://www.kharkivfoundation.org/home

Help Ukraine:

https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ua/donate/~my-donation?_cv=1

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/

https://vostok-sos.org/en/ukraine-under-fire-support-vostok-sos-aid-operation/

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

October 22, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk met in the third round of Champions League Group C on Tuesday in Kharkiv as one of the key matches for the Croatian champion in the prestigious European competition this season. The winner would open the doors to the round of 16. 

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica had minor problems with player injuries on Tuesday. However, captain Ademi started from the first minute, while Petkovic started on the bench with Gavranovic in his place. The Croatian champion played in a 5-4-1 formation with three stoppers, and Olmo and Orsic playing the wings.

Shakhtar came out attacking from the start, with a dangerous play in Dinamo’s box within the first minute. However, it didn’t take long for the Zagreb side to find their form, maintain possession and move for the attack. Dinamo did, however, commit four fouls by the 10th minute, with Stojanović booked for a yellow. 

Shakhtar picked up their attacking game again with another dangerous play in the 13th minute, which was cleared out by Dinamo’s defense for a corner. While they were unlucky then, Shakhtar finally had their chance in the 16th minute for 1:0. 

Conceding the goal seemed to be the wake-up call the Zagreb side needed, who continued to press in Shakhtar’s half for the following five minutes. After Gavranovic failed to finish in the box, Orsic took the ball down the left wing to find the boot of Spanish wonder kid Dani Olmo for the equalizer. The game was 1:1 in the 24th minute. 

Both sides had chances in the minutes that follow as the intensity of the game increased. The game was equal, though Shakhtar maintained slightly better possession (55%). 

Dinamo opened the second half with a stellar chance in the 49th minute when Olmo hit the crossbar. Shakhtar’s defense had to save their goal from Olmo yet again in the 55th. Moments later, a penalty was awarded to Dinamo, which Orsic scored for 1:2. 

Shakhtar had an epic chance to make it 2:2 in the 65th minute, but Moraes just missed. In the 75th minute, however, Shakhtar’s Dodo equalized for 2:2. 

Olmo was unlucky in the final minute of regulation time and the game ended 2:2. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.