Opening of the First Ukrainian Eco-Tourist Visit Centre in Yaremche

In 2007-2009 the office building of the Carpathian National Nature Park was reconstructed within the project implemented by the Tourist Association of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and supported by the EU ‘Creation of cross-border network of development and promotion of tourism flow between Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine and Maramuresh district of Romania’. This marked the beginning of the first in Ukraine eco-tourist visit centre.

The idea of creating a visit centre in Yaremche – one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Precarpathian region – arose with the TAIFR team long before it was built. The project followed the example of similar visit centres in Western Europe, so there was no doubt about the success of such a centre in Yaremche. It was that confidence in success, the importance and obvious practical benefit of the idea that helped our organization to successfully implement our first project with an infrastructural component, resulting in a stylish building in Yaremche’s centre, which the community could use for its development in dozens of years to come. Since 2009 the visit centre has been hospitably open for visitors seven days a week and 365 days a year.

The Carpathian National Nature Park, as the project partner, was interested the most in the creation of a unique tourist attraction that would represent the landscape and the concepts of environment protection in an attractive and interesting format for visitors and make them stay in the town for at least a day. This would promote the Carpathian National Nature Park and, as a result, increase the number of visitors to Yaremche.

The concept of the centre consists in the interpretation of the local nature and the demonstration of the area’s opportunities for ecotourism. The quality of interpretation boosts the tourists’ impressions of the landscape they visit, forms the corresponding experience, ensures vivid associations that linger, bring about further positive comments and encourage to visit the place again as well as impels guests to take care of the landscape they visit, the environment and the local culture. The ecological tourist information provided in the centre warns about the harm that may be caused to the environment by visitors and suggests alternatives.

What can a visitor find in our centre?

On the first floor of the visit centre there is an exposition interpreting the landscape on the territory of the Carpathian National Nature Park, the local Hutsul culture, the peculiarities of nature and environmentally-friendly behaviour in it. One can see the Chornohora in miniature: a model of the Chornohora ridge covered with hardened glass, and when you step on it, you ‘climb’ the highest Carpathian peaks – Hoverla, Pip Ivan, Petros… Then you can choose an itinerary using electronic maps, discover the secrets of the Carpathian mountain masses and water bodies, find yourself in a mountain forest, acquire brochures, maps and other useful materials.

The modern multimedia conference room is located on the second floor of the building. Alongside with seeing the visit centre, one may plan a day tour of the Carpathian National Nature Park, including a walk along the Path of Dovbush, a visit to the enclosure with wild animals, seeing the waterfall and the souvenir market and exploring a marked bike route or participating in a bike excursion and feeling like an inhabitant of the “BikeLand”.

As of August 2016, Yaremche Ecological Tourist Visit Centre has received about forty thousand travelling families, school children and student groups and helped them to enjoy their rest and make it more meaningful. The visit centre’s staff are professionals from the Carpathian National Nature Park with many years of work experience, experts in the local nature and culture who conduct fascinating educational excursions, provide visitors with all the necessary tourist information and take care of the centre’s development. It was quite symbolic to have the EU ambassadors as the first guests to the centre who wrote the first entry to the centre’s visitors’ book. At present this big book is already overfilled with words of gratitude and sincere wishes from visitors.

«I believe that everybody who relates to the development of ecotourism in Ukraine or is simply a fan of active ecological recreation must visit Yaremche Ecological Tourist Visit Centre at least once. There are not many good examples like that in Ukraine yet, so to gain experience, one must come here. I remember the training of the ecotourism section at the first ecotourism forum in 2009 in Yartemche being held in the visit centre just opened. Straight after the forum, its most active participants founded the Ukrainian Association of Active and Ecological Tourism promoting the development of adventure tourism and ecotourism in Ukraine” – Serhii Pidmohylnyi, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Active and Ecological Tourism.

More News

Nature Itineraries In The Eastern ...

10 May 2018

Historic Echo of The Past ...

10 May 2018

A Place Like No Other ...

10 May 2018

Loving what we do with the genuine sense of responsibility

DONATE

Our
contacts