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Ukraine and Canada have much in common beyond the
fact that more than 1 million Canadians claim whole or partial
Ukrainian ancestry. Besides having boundless steppes and a rich
multicultural heritage, Ukraine, like Canada, shares a long
border with a large and powerful neighbour and experiences some
of the same challenges and opportunities that this relationship
brings. Given these and other similarities between the two
countries, it is not surprising that Ukrainians are comfortable
working with Canadians, or that many Ukrainians feel a special
affection for Canada because of our reputation for fairness,
modesty and tolerance.
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Jars Balan, Kalyna Country volunteer
executive director, recently returned from his third ecotourism
consulting trip to south central Ukraine over the past six
years. He was impressed by the great progress that he witnessed
in the development of rural tourism in parts of Ukraine, and
especially pleased to see that many ideas borrowed from Kalyna
Country are being successfully implemented in a regional tourism
project in Kherson oblast, or province.
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Jars began his latest consulting trip in Cherkasy
oblast, which straddles the Dnipro River two hours south of
Kyiv, visiting rural bed breakfasts, local museums, natural
attractions and historic landmarks. Along with boating on the
Dnipro, sampling local foods, and seeing a famous “thousand year
old oak” associated with 17th century peasant and
Cossack uprisings, he stayed a day and a half in the raion
centre (county seat) of Kam’ianka, a town of 14,400 inhabitants.
It is where the Russian-born Ukrainian composer, Peter
Tchaikovsky, spent the better part of twenty-eight summers
visiting his sister – who was married to a wealthy local
landowner – and seeking inspiration from his Ukrainian roots
while composing some of his most famous works. Kam’ianka is also
renowned for being an important well-spring of an 1825
anti-Tsarist movement, and a major focus of partisan resistance
to Bolshevik rule from 1918-1922 as well as the Nazi occupation
during the Second World War.
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Afterwards, Jars helped lead a delegation of a
dozen local B & B operators, museum directors and tourism
promoters to the resort town of Zaliznyi Port, on Kherson
oblast’s “gold coast” extending from the Crimean peninsula to
the mouth of the mighty Dnipro. Joined there by four other
tourism industry stakeholders from Transcarpathia and Galicia in
Western Ukraine, the contingent then spent four days in two
mini-busses touring outlying agricultural communities, seeing
historic churches, a prairie hot spring, and a centuries-old
salt drying operation. They also attended a wine-tasting at a
successful inn, went boating on a Dnipro estuary, and hiked a
piece of scenic coastline that was not only rich in shorebirds
but boasted archaeological remains from an ancient Greek
settlement dating back more than 2000 years.
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Jars subsequently gave a two-day workshop on
ecotourism to the study tour members, beginning with a half-day
power point presentation about the Kalyna Country Ecomuseum
project. His talk sparked a lively discussion among the
participants, who expressed a keen desire to someday visit east
central Alberta.
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As Mr. Balan observed about the current situation
in the former Soviet republic: “Notwithstanding the political
upheavals of the past few years, Ukraine has made great strides
economically, which has naturally benefitted the tourism
industry. The country has tremendous tourism potential because
it is incredibly blessed with historic, cultural and natural
assets, in addition to being relatively affordable, safe, and
hospitable. Thanks to growing local and regional demand and
Ukraine’s increased international profile, the future of
Ukraine’s tourism sector is unquestionably bright.”
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However, Mr. Balan also went on to note that
“Ukraine at the same time has several difficulties which it
needs to overcome, including deficiencies in infrastructure as
well as problems with sanitation and litter. But given the
talent and determination of the Ukrainians that I have had the
pleasure of working with, it is only a matter of time before
these shortcomings are addressed and Ukraine becomes a major
destination for travellers to and from Europe.”
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Mr. Balan’s trip was organized and financed by
the Community Economic Development Project, managed by the
Canadian Bureau of International Education, which is active in
economic development projects in several oblasts of Ukraine
under a contribution agreement with the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA). He attributed the success of his
consulting trip to the professionalism and dedication of CBIE’s
Ukrainian and Canadian staff, and to the quality of the people
they selected to participate in the study tour to Kherson.
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“Although there are significant differences a lot
of the issues are the same, so much of what I have learned from
my sixteen years’ involvement with Kalyna Country is certainly
applicable to rural Ukraine. At the same time, I have discovered
many wonderful things about the land of my ancestors, which I
encourage Canadians to visit before it becomes trendy and
costlier.”
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Mr. Balan hopes to again have the opportunity to
work on rural tourism initiatives in Ukraine, especially in the
western parts of the country where most Canadians of Ukrainian
descent trace their origins. He would also love to one day lead
a group of Kalyna Country residents to Ukraine, so as to meet
their “Old Country” counterparts in the rural tourism industry.
“It’s an experience both sides could benefit from,” he asserts
enthusiastically, “and I’m sure that the Canadians would quickly
feel right at home.”
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(Kalyna Country is the tourism region east of
Edmonton – covering all of Northeast Central Alberta).
