Domestic tourism in Ukraine recorded strong growth in 2025, increasing by 12% and effectively returning to pre-war levels, according to the State Agency for Tourism Development.
The total number of overnight stays reached approximately 10 million, up from around 9 million in 2024 and surpassing the 9.4 million recorded in 2021 before the full-scale war. Officials note that the increase reflects both genuine growth in internal travel demand and a partial shift of accommodation providers out of the shadow economy.
Domestic travel flows are concentrated in safer regions, particularly western Ukraine and the capital. The top destinations by overnight stays were Lviv Oblast with around 2.37 million nights and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast with 1.61 million, followed by Kyiv at 1.46 million.
Other strong-performing regions include Zakarpattia Oblast, which recorded roughly 943,000 overnight stays, and Odesa Oblast, which posted the fastest growth rate at 31%, reaching 571,000 nights.
In contrast, frontline regions remain largely excluded from tourism activity, with minimal domestic travel recorded in areas such as Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
At the local level, Kyiv led all communities in total overnight stays, while resort areas in the Carpathians showed the strongest growth. Notably, the Polyanytsia community (home to Bukovel ski resort) exceeded one million overnight stays, and spa destinations such as Truskavets and Skhidnytsia also saw significant increases.
Tourism-related revenues are also rising. In 2025, local budgets collected approximately 359 million hryvnias in tourism tax. The largest contributions came from Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv region, Zakarpattia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, which together accounted for more than 77% of total revenues.
However, officials caution that the real size of the domestic tourism market may be significantly larger. Around 50% of accommodation providers are believed to operate in the shadow economy, and only about 70% of communities have fully implemented the tourism tax.
Despite these challenges, domestic tourism in Ukraine is showing clear resilience. The sector is adapting to new realities, with a growing focus on local travel, nature-based destinations and regional experiences, driving steady recovery and continued growth.
