ORGANIZATION OF TOURISM IN THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE IN THE PRE-WAR PERIOD AND POST-WAR PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article focuses on the study of the organizational principles of tourism activity in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone territory, the development of a vision for its transformation in the post-war period, considering security factors, and the identification of prospects for post-war tourism restoration in this area. Methods of analysis, systematization and generalization, as well as historical and dialectical methods were applied in the process of scientific research. These methods allowed to systematize information obtained from various sources, to analyze the rules of tourist visits to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In this article, it is justified that the resumption of visits to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone for tourists is possible provided that the permissible norms of radiation contamination of this territory are assembled, confirmed by official environmental monitoring data, and there is no threat of a new attack by the Russian Federation. The authors emphasize the importance of preserving the developed tools that were used to organize visits to the Chornobyl zone in the pre-war period and ensure the transparency and accessibility of this procedure. The need for the implementation of innovative approaches in the system of measures for organizing tourist activities in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is substantiated. Among such modern tools, interactive maps and virtual tours of places where an increased level of radiation contamination persists, as well as augmented reality in locations where life used to be bustling and now wildlife is coming, can be used. Moreover, it is crucial to ensure the accessibility of the Chornobyl Zone for tourists with disabilities. A set of measures has been offered for the successful restoration of tourism in the Chornobyl zone after the end of the invasion: to conduct complete demining of the territory, restore damaged infrastructure and modernize the access control system, conduct radiation monitoring and ensure the safety of routes, and restore the work of licensed tour operators who specialized in organizing Chornobyl tours.