The State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine (SATD) and U.S. Airbnb will cooperate to popularize Ukraine in the world as a tourist attractive destination.

The press service of the agency told Interfax-Ukraine that the corresponding Memorandum was signed on September 25, 2023 during a meeting of Head of the SATD Mariana Oleskiw and co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb Nathan Blecharczyk at the Consulate General of Ukraine in Munich (Germany).

"Airbnb's initiative to provide free temporary housing to over 100,000 refugees from Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was a significant support for us. After the victory, we want to express our gratitude and demonstrate our hospitality by inviting the whole world, which has been standing next to Ukraine all this time. The document signed today now officially testifies to our intentions to jointly restore the tourism industry of our state," Oleskiv said.

The document provides for joint marketing activities to promote the tourism potential of Ukraine – providing online publications and distributing promotional photo and video content of tourist attractive destinations in our country, including Crimea after its de-occupation. Another priority area of cooperation will be the exchange of analytical and statistical information.

Blecharczyk said that, despite the fact that tourism is hardly possible in Ukraine today, it is important now to set a course for the post-war recovery of the industry.

"With this memorandum, we agree to support tourism in Ukraine after the end of the war. This cooperation is a significant sign for our community around the world," Blecharczyk said.

As reported, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Airbnb.org resource has helped find free and temporary housing for more than 130,000 Ukrainians. The accommodation was financed by Airbnb, Inc. itself and other Airbnb.org donors, as well as hosts who offered accommodation for free or at a significant discount for Ukrainian citizens.