Communities in Zakarpattia urge regional administration to support development of tourist resorts
Mountain communities are urging the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration to support the development of tourist resorts in the region.
This was reported by Censor.NET.
Representatives of the Yasinia community of the Rakhiv District and the Ust-Chorna community of the Tiachiv District in Zakarpattia have appealed to both the public and the authorities for support in developing tourism. The establishment of resort complexes would fundamentally transform the socio-economic conditions of this economically depressed mountainous region: it would create new jobs, develop infrastructure, increase local budgets, and provide residents with opportunities for profitable entrepreneurship — all while preserving the environment. Thus, drawing on the experience of mountainous regions in EU member states, the communities have prepared the necessary urban‑planning documentation, including a detailed plan for a tourism‑and‑recreation complex provisionally titled "Svydovets." However, their implementation has been obstructed from all sides for five years now.
The Ukrainian Carpathian region has limited scope for industrial activity: it has problems with the placement of enterprises, logistics, and infrastructure. There is virtually no fertile land here. As a result, residents have limited employment options; local budgets are meager, and the social infrastructure — including healthcare, culture, and education — remains underdeveloped. The road network is in poor condition. Sixty percent of the population works abroad, leaving children without parental care and causing many families to break apart. To change the situation fundamentally, locals have drawn up resort projects, but they continue to face numerous obstacles.
In 2017, by order of the Tiachiv and Rakhiv district state administrations, a Detailed Land Use Plan was approved for the territory of a tourism and recreation complex provisionally titled "Svydovets." However, legal battles have continued for years. The case has been submitted to the Supreme Court for the second time. The courts have consistently ruled in our favor. However, a small group of individuals—some of whom are not even Ukrainian citizens (EU nationals from countries where major ski resorts thrive) are attempting to block our project by every means possible. It appears that their obstructive efforts are well-funded by those who clearly seek to preserve a monopoly in the global ski tourism market," the communities’ statement reads.
It is stated that a large-scale information campaign is currently being waged against the development of resorts in Zakarpattia, creating a negative backdrop based on unfounded accusations. It is led by cynically bribed environmentalists.
"As soon as we identify an area for tourism development, yet another initiative is launched to designate a "nature reserve" on the very land our communities have earmarked for development! Our districts are already setting European "records" for the number of nature reserves. For example, 23% of Rakhiv District's territory is classified as a reserve (compared to a national average of just 6.5%). We are becoming "reservation", like the isolated frontier zones of the "old American West", and soon we won’t be able to do anything on our own land—neither graze livestock, nor forage, nor maintain our traditional highland farming," the project’s initiators assert.
In response to the accusations, residents of the Yasinia and Ust‑Chorna communities emphasize that
- Resort complexes will only commence construction following public consultations on the Environmental Impact Assessment reports;
- Investors for the projects will be selected through an open auction, in which all interested parties may participate, once the communities have finalized the land use documentation;
- Tourism development will not jeopardize the Carpathian forests (according to the project plans, only 6% of the annual logging volume currently conducted by commercial forestry enterprises in the designated area would be permitted. Unlike these enterprises, the communities remain committed to preserving the environment).
