Some 66% of Ukrainians surveyed made at least one trip within Ukraine over the past year, with the Carpathian region the most popular destination at 54%, according to a study conducted as part of the national program "Journey to Yourself: Paths to Recovery," commissioned by Brand Ukraine and the State Agency for Tourism Development (DART) and carried out by the Gradus Research polling company.
"During the war, the culture of behavior has transformed, and rest has become a resource for Ukrainians’ mental and physical health, a way to hold on. There are also two other important factors I want to highlight: identity as a strategic resource for the state, and today travel and tourism are the best way to strengthen our identity. And the third factor, which is strategically important for postwar recovery, is the economic component," DART head Natalia Tabaka said at the presentation of the study, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.
The study said 66% of Ukrainians consider domestic travel appropriate, with support for tourism highest among young people aged 18-24.
The share of military personnel and veterans who traveled within the country over the year stood at 72% and 69%, respectively. In addition, 27% took three or more trips.
The study said tourism serves as a space for recovery for military personnel, with 47% citing physical rehabilitation, 42% spending time with family, 35% a chance to take their mind off service, and 16% cultural and educational activities.
Lviv was also among the most popular destinations among Ukrainians, at 51%, followed by Kyiv and the surrounding region at 50% and Odesa at 46%.
The largest share of Ukrainians, 34%, said they plan to travel to the Carpathians in the next six months, followed by 26% to Zakarpattia and 25% to Odesa.
The study found that trains are the primary mode of transport for tourist trips, at 55%, while 53% of respondents choose to travel by car, and 46% travel by bus or intercity minibus.
The survey also found that 67% of respondents consider up to UAH 3,000 a day a comfortable amount to spend, including accommodation and food, while only 8% are willing to spend UAH 5,000 or more per day.
The study said 42% of trips last two to three days, while 33% of respondents choose week-long trips of four to seven days. Some 56% of Ukrainians travel with family, and nature-based recreation is the most desired format.
The main ways respondents plan trips are independent searches through websites and apps, at 63%, and recommendations from friends or acquaintances, at 42%.
As for sources of information about new travel destinations, 40% cited recommendations from friends or acquaintances, 25% cited Instagram, including reels, posts and stories, while 6% of respondents said they turn to artificial intelligence (AI) for advice.
Overall, about 66% of respondents said they feel an acute need for psychological recovery, while 45% of those surveyed said travel and a change of scenery is one of the most effective ways to recover.
The study found that 33% of Ukrainians began to value domestic travel more after the start of the full-scale invasion, while 11% travel within Ukraine because of the difficulty of traveling abroad.
Among other findings, the risk of mobilization is a significant separate barrier to travel. Among men of conscription age, this fear discourages travel in 22% of cases, almost twice the rate among women, at 9%.
The DART release said the main external barrier to rest is also the danger posed by hostilities, cited by 65% of respondents. For military personnel, meanwhile, social barriers are critical, including discomfort from strangers’ questions about their service, cited by 30%, and the contrast between civilian life and the reality of the front, cited by 33%.
"We see that traveling within Ukraine has become a conscious choice for people seeking inner stability. It is also an investment in mental health, in supporting communities and in Ukraine’s future recovery. Through this program, we want to convey a simple but important idea: finding time for yourself and your psychological state is a necessary condition for our shared resilience," Brand Ukraine head Maria Lypiatska was quoted as saying in the release.
The study’s data collection method was based on respondents filling out a self-administered questionnaire in the Gradus mobile app. The primary target audience of 1,000 respondents was men and women aged 18-60 living in cities with populations of 50,000 or more, excluding temporarily occupied territories and territories with active hostilities. The survey was conducted from May 18-25, 2026.
