DIRECTIONS OF ACTIVATION OF ECOTURISM DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE

Abstract

This study raises issues related to the current state of ecotourism and prospects for its development in our country. Under ecological tourism we understand the form of nature-oriented tourism, carried out in order to learn about wildlife and destination culture, which does not violate the integrity of the ecosystem, designed to contribute to the conservation of natural resources, environmental protection and socio-econom­ic development of the tourist area. According to the World Tourism Organization, Ukraine has great potential for the development of ecotourism and the opportunity to be on the list of leading countries in this area. However, there are a number of limitations and problems that restrain the more active development of ecotourism in Ukraine. The aim of the article is to investigate the reasons for the insufficient devel­opment of ecotourism in Ukraine and to substantiate the directions of its intensifica­tion in the country. The comparative characteristics of the areas of protected areas of the world and Ukraine indicate that in Ukraine and some CIS countries is dominated by a small number of protected areas, but with a large average area in contrast to countries such as Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, which have much more pro­tected territories with their relatively small average area. It is noted that in Ukraine, in contrast to a number of foreign countries, where there are more accurate methods of calculating the tourist flow, it is very difficult to estimate the real flow of visitors to national parks, due to the lack of unambiguous methods of counting visitors. To promote ecological tourism, the administration of national parks is recommended to present parks at international tourism exhibitions, cooperate more actively with tour operators and travel agents, develop the park's infrastructure and recreational activi­ties within it, offering tourists new routes.