The so-called "dark tourism" is gaining popularity in Ukraine, when foreigners come to see the de-occupied and front-line territories.
The so-called "dark tourism" is gaining popularity in Ukraine, when foreigners come to see the de-occupied and front-line territories.
One of those who used the service of the so-called "dark tourism" was a 23-year-old Italian from Spain, Alberto Blasco Ventas, the South China Morning Post writes .
The guy wants to become a popular travel blogger, so he went to Ukraine.
On his YouTube channel, which has 115,000 subscribers, Ventas posts videos with titles such as "The Scariest Mental Hospital" or "The Most Dangerous Border." In the first case, we are talking about an institution in the USA, in the second case, the border is between Russia, China and North Korea.
"I am in the war zone for the first time. A little scary, I won't lie. You never know what can happen," he says, standing next to the destroyed bridge on the Irpin River. To criticisms of critics that Ventas exploits other people's grief, he replies that he does everything "with respect". To get to Ukraine, he ignored his family's concerns and boarded a plane to Moldova, then traveled 18 hours by train.
One of the companies organizing such trips for foreigners, War Tours, has already brought more than 30 such tourists since the beginning of the year. It is reported that there are more than a dozen such businesses in Ukraine.
Those who want to experience sharp, by the standards of foreigners, sensations have to pay up to 250 euros for one tour of Kyiv region. This does not include travel and accommodation expenses. There is also an opportunity to visit the south of Ukraine close to the front - it will cost up to 3,300 euros.
