No war is stopping the people Odesa to show its resilience in travel and tourism. In Odesa joining World Tourism Network is testimony.
Today, the Odesa Department of Culture, International Relations, and European Integration of Odesa City Council in Ukraine joined the World Tourism Network as its latest destination member.
Currently, World Tourism Network has members in 130 countries.
Ivan Liptuga, the new acting Director of the Odesa Department of Culture, International Relations, and European Integration of Odesa City Council, has been a board member of WTN since it was founded in 2020.
He was also awarded tourism hero by WTN and co-founded the WTN “Scream for Ukraine campaign.
Before, Ivan was the director of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Ministry of Economic Development of Ukraine.
Currently, he is also the president of the National Tourism Organization of Ukraine and a representative of Ukraine on marketing issues at the International Chamber of Commerce.
Odesa is Ukraine’s third most populous city and a major seaport and transportation hub located on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. Odesa is also an administrative center of the Odesa Oblast and a multi-ethnic cultural center.
The Historic Center of Odesa, part of the Black Sea port city founded in 1794 on the site of Khadzhybei, is a densely built area characterized by two- to four-story buildings and wide perpendicular streets lined with trees that bear witness to the city’s rapid growth until the early 20th century.
The UNESCO World Heritage part in Odesa includes theatres, religious buildings, schools, private palaces and tenement houses, clubs, hotels, banks, shopping centers, warehouses, stock exchanges, terminals, and other public and administrative buildings designed by architects and engineers, mainly from Italy in the early years, but also of other nationalities.
Eclecticism is the dominant feature of the historic city center’s architecture. The site bears witness to the city’s highly diverse ethnic and religious communities, representing an outstanding example of intercultural exchanges and the growth of multicultural and multi-ethnic Eastern European cities of the 19th century.
The main tasks of the Department of Culture, International Relations and European Integration of Odesa City Council in the field of tourism are:
1) ensuring the implementation of the state policy in the field of tourism in the territory of Odesa city;
2) formation of a positive image of Odesa, popularization of the city, the active promotion of the brand of Odesa in the main target and new tourist markets;
3) promotion of tourist activities in the city and the creation of modern tourist infrastructure;
4) establishment of cooperation and interaction with international institutions and organizations in the field of tourism;
5) coordination and control over the implementation of excursion activities in the territory of Odesa and the quality of tourist services;
6) promoting the development of the film industry in Odesa and the region.
Ivan Liptuga explains: “We want to join World Tourism Network to establish new business contacts, share experience in tourism development, and gain experience from other countries.”
WTN Chairman Juergen Steinmetz said: “Ivan is a go-getter. He has been a part of the World Tourism Network. We congratulate his new responsible for leading tourism for the beautiful Ukrainian city of Odesa.
The people of Odesa and tourism is resilient. Ivan has been a face for Ukraine Tourism before and even more so after the Russian aggression against his country unfolded.
World Tourism Network is proud to welcome Odesa among our member destinations.”
World Tourism Network is the long-overdue voice of small and medium-sized travel and tourism businesses around the world. By uniting efforts, WTN brings to the forefront the needs and aspirations of small and medium-sized businesses and their Stakeholders.
