What Europe Can Learn from Africa’s Sustainable Tourism Success
Rethinking Sustainable Tourism through African Experience Across the African continent, community-based tourism has evolved into a powerful catalyst for sustainability,…
Experience Economy and Its Impact on Tourism Destination Development
Introduction The concept of the experience economy is no longer a niche marketing term — it has become a foundational…
Insider Insights: How Donors Really Evaluate Grant Applications
Expert perspective from a former USAID Sector Lead on what truly drives funding decisions and how to make your proposal…
Eco-Mobility in Tourism: Lessons from EU-Funded Projects and New Initiatives in Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Introduction Tourism is booming — but so are emissions, congestion, and local frustration with unsustainable visitor flows. Eco-mobility in tourism…
Business Plans or Grant Applications? Understanding the Critical Differences
Introduction When entrepreneurs, NGOs, or tourism startups start chasing funding, they often stumble upon the same question: “Do I need…
Good Ratings, Bad Service: The Dark Side of Google Maps in German Tourism
Google Reviews in Germany: When 4.7 Stars Mean Nothing For many of us, Google Maps has become a go-to source…
Hotel Direct Bookings vs OTAs: What to Prioritize in 2025?
1. The Eternal Struggle — Direct vs OTAs If you’ve been in the hotel game long enough, you know the…
Farm-to-Table to Tourist: Turning Local Products into Authentic Travel Experiences
Introduction: The Taste of a Place Today’s traveller is no longer satisfied with souvenirs and sightseeing. They want to taste…
How Medical & Wellness Tourism Creates Impact: From Eastern Europe to the MENA Region
Healing as an Industry: Medical & Wellness Tourism Explained 🌍 A Global Movement Fueled by Purpose and Pain Relief Over…
How to Make Visitor Centres Sexy Again
📌 INTRO: Reinventing Visitor Centres for the Modern Traveller Let’s be honest. The average visitor centre today feels like a…
So You Want to Start a DMC? Here’s What Nobody Tells You
INTRO: Everyone Wants In — But Few Stay In Destination Management Companies (DMCs) are the sexy side of tourism —…
From Beds to Brands: How Boutique Hotels in Germany Can Stand Out in a Post-Airbnb World
Introduction: The Changing Landscape The golden age of Airbnb has reset guest expectations. Personalized stays, local flair, and seamless check-ins…
🍇 Wine Is Not Enough: How to Design Complete Eno‑Tourism Experiences That Keep Guests Coming Back
1. Introduction Enotourism experiences today demand more than a good glass of wine. Travelers crave rich narratives, active discovery, and…
Not Just Counting Tourists: Monitoring & Evaluation in Tourism Projects
🔍 Introduction: Why Counting Tourists Is Not Enough Tourism has become a favorite tool in development strategies. It promises job…
Tourism in Fragile Regions: Paths to Peace and Recovery
Introduction: When the Dust Settles Tourism in fragile regions is more than just an economic activity — it’s a critical…
🌟Tourism Consulting: The Secret Weapon for Sustainable Destination Success
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant 🧭INTRO: Bold Moves or Fall Behind — It’s Your Choice Tourism in 2025…
Tourism as a Tool for Social Impact: How NGOs Create Sustainable Destinations
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant How community-based tourism, when managed strategically, can fundraise, empower locals, and scale impact.…
From Vision to Impact: How to Design Tourism Grant-Winning Projects
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant “A good idea without a plan is just a dream. A good…
Strategy Planning in Sustainable Tourism
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant Why Strategy Beats Slogans in 2025 Sustainable tourism isn’t a romantic idea…
Beyond Sightseeing: How Cultural Tourism Drives Real Sustainable Development
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant Cultural tourism is not just a leisurely stroll through museums or a folklore show for foreign visitors. When…
Why You Need a Tourism Consultant in 2025
By Oleksandr Fainin, Destination Development & Management Consultant 🧭 Welcome to the New Tourism Reality Tourism in 2025 is no…
Top 5 Mistakes in Destination Management
Why Your Destination Strategy Might Be Failing (and How to Fix It) Whether you’re managing a hidden gem or a…
Development of tourist destinations: smart specialization of the regions of Saxony-Anhalt
Smart specialization of the regions of the tourist destination is an approach to determining the directions and priorities of development…
Regenerative tourism as a new trend in sustainable development
Environmental conservation is a growing concern in the tourism industry, both among tourism professionals and travelers. More and more tourists…
26th Halle Tourism Fair: nice cover with mediocre service
On Saturday, February 8, 2025, the 26th Halle Tourism Fair was held at the MZ Publishing House. My wife noticed…
Operational consulting for hotel
Operational consulting is aimed primarily at those hotels and mini-hotels that have been put into operation, are operating and that…
The series of programs “Just about tourism” has started
Dear friends and partners, We are pleased to inform you that we are starting a series of author’s programs by…
European practice of sustainable tourism development
What is sustainable tourism Sustainable development, ESG – global trends of the last 8 years in society and business. Involvement…
Project management in tourism sphere
Many owners and managers of a successful business ultimately face the question of stability and increasing the efficiency and quality…
Business plan – your way to success! Part 2
In the first part of the article on business plan, I talked about the general trends of this important process…
Travels in Saxony-Anhalt: Pforta Monastery
I recently came across an article that Australian scientists have proven that people who travel look younger than those who…
Quedlinburg: The half-timbered wonder of Saxony-Anhalt
Good weather at the very beginning of September inspires a new trip. The first of September fell on a Sunday.…
Business plan – your way to success! Part 1
A successful business plan is the key to the sustainable development of a company or project. Usually, leading businesses and…
Seven wonders of Saxony-Anhalt
The inclusion of a certain tourist object, city or part of it in the UNESCO World Heritage list encourages more…
Top 10 water parks in Central Germany
Previously, we published a rating of water parks in Ukraine. Since the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, more than 1…
Car rental in Italy or Three whores and a beaver
For more than 30 years of experience in the field of tourism and hospitality, I indirectly had to deal with…
How to have a cheap and high-quality vacation at the sea with a flight from Europe
The vacation at the sea it was a dream! During the several years my wife and I lived in Germany,…
The first Ukrainian hostel appeared 20 years ago
In previous articles about Ukrainian tourism, I paid the most attention to one of my most successful projects – the…
Sea of Azov tourism: another delusion of the Russian occupiers
The Russian authorities announced their intention to develop tourism in the occupied Sea of Azov region. At the end of…
Car trip to the Witches′ Dance Floor
Last week, my wife and I took a car trip to the small town of Thale, which is located in…
Top 10 Waterparks of Ukraine
One of the most favorite places of rest for tourists and townspeople is the water park. Even in the 90s,…
Lessons from ITB Berlin: Saxony-Anhalt tourism needs major changes
Germany is one of the most influential and strangest tourist markets. This country has the largest negative tourism balance in…
Sea of Azov tourism before and after the Russian invasion: South Azov region
With this article, I conclude the series on the development of tourism in the Azov region before the Russian occupation…
Sea of Azov tourism before and after the Russian invasion: Central Azov region
I want to restore the traditional column on tourism in the Azov region. Today I will talk about the destination…
Four steps to get a grant
If you are the owner or manager of a company or run a social business (public and charitable organizations), then…
Sea of Azov tourism before and after the Russian invasion: Mariupol
Last week I published an article on the general state of the tourism industry in the Sea of Azov region…
Restoration of the tourism infrastructure of the Ukrainian Sea of Azov
As early as 2021, I headed the work on the development of tourism in the Ukrainian Sea of Azov region.…
Koktebel Jazz Festival Arabatka
From August 29 to September 5, 2021 in the village of Shchaslyvtsevo, located on Arabatska Strilka spit, hosted the legendary…
Southern Development Strategy Forum
On June 10-11, 2021, the International Investment Forum “Southern Development Strategy” was held at the Arabatska Strilka spit of…
Presentation of the Azov Tourism Development Roadmap
On June 3, 2021, the presentation of the Roadmap for the development of tourism in the Azov Region was held…
Oleksandr Fainin’s conversation with the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy
On December 24, 2020, an online meeting of leading experts in the tourism industry was organized with the Minister of…
I Azov Tourism Forum
On December 11, 2020, the 1st Tourist Forum of the Azov region took place. Due to the COVID pandemic, the…
Top 15 Must See Places in Kyiv
Top 15 Must See Places in Kyiv Kyiv has more than 100 unique sites which every tourist has to visit.…
10 Kyiv Viewpoints
10 Kyiv Viewpoints Kyiv is one of most beautiful world cities with lot of viewpoint, where you can see amazing…
Oleksandr Fainin became one of the real contenders for the post of Head of State Tourism Development Agency
West Cherkaschyna Tourism Cluster President, EBRD International Advisor, and European Commission Expert for Tourism Oleksandr Fainin is one of the…
The State Budget of Ukraine for 2020 Plans the Largest Expenditures on Tourism in the History of Independence
Reforms in the tourism industry are ongoing. The State Budget project for 2020 envisages UAH 940M for tourism development including…
Alexander Fainin Became a Member of the Public Council of the Parliament Profile Committee
President of the Western Cherkaschyna Tourist Cluster, Alexander Fainin, is included to the Public Council under the Verkhovna Rada Committee…
We Are Starting “Walking With The Native Kyivant”
Since May 2019, we started the cycle of excursions “Walking With The Native Kyivant”, which is conducted by the co-founder…
Online Booking of Tours to the West Cherkasy Region Have Started
Since April 2019 online booking of tours, which are carried out from the town of Uman within the tourist cluster…
Visit of Hans-Ulrich Trosien to Uman
On October 16-17, 2018, the expert of the Association of Employers in the Field of Hotel and Restaurant Business in…
Tourism cluster “West Cherkaschyna” Presented Own Development Program for Palanska UTC
September 28 at Berestivets village, which is a part of the Palanska United Territorial Community, held a public discussion on…
Travel Fair “West Cherkaschyna” Was Held in Uman
On September 27, in the wake of the International Day of Tourism in the territory of the State Historical and…
Tourist Cluster West Cherkaschyna: Buky Canyon Project
On September 11, 2018, a working meeting on implementation of the project of the Cherkasy Center for Development of Local…
Video “Tourist Clusters 300+”
Video about the project “Travel clusters 300+”, the creation of clusters in Vyshgorod, Uman and Obuhov and about the participation…
Presentation of the Project “Tourist Clusters 300+”
The project “Tourist clusters 300+” aimed at the development of domestic tourism was launched in Ukraine. By 2030, every tenth…
Creation of the Tourist Cluster “West Cherkaschyna”
On July 27, 2018, by the initiative of the Uman Tomorrow Foundation, a round table “Creation of a tourist cluster…
SunCity Consulting: Cooperation With FasterCapital Startup Incubator
SunCity Travel, LLC’ CEO Alexander Fainin signed the agreement and became a Regional Partner of the international start-up incubator “FasterCapital” (UAE).…
Visa to Ukraine Upon Arrival to Airport
Short term single-entry visas “C” (valid up to 15 days) with a tourism or business purposes can be issued upon…
New!!! Jewish Genealogy Tours to Ukraine
Do you want to make a special gift to your relatives or to organize the unusual family vacation? We offer you…
We are 15 years old! Get 15% discount and SPO for services in Ukraine!
Our company was established 15 years ago. We celebrate SunCity Travel, LLC’s anniversary and have a pleasure to offer you…
Top 10 Restaurants and Cafes in Kyiv
Where I can to eat in Kyiv? What cafe or restaurant the best? Perhaps, every tourist, who visits Ukrainian capital first…
Top 10 Must See places in Transcarpathia
Synevyr Lake The Synevyr Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes of Transcarpathia. Located at an altitude of 989…
Packages “Feel Like a Millionaire”: Cooperation and Customer Loyalty Program
Planning a holidays abroad, tourist wants to get the best services for the best price. Our new tour collection “Feel…
Top 10 Must See Cities of Ukraine
When you go to other country you plan to visit most interesting and attractive sights. Ukraine has a lot of…
Ukrainian tourism in 2014: Stagnation or Sanitation?
By Alexander Fainin As is known, predictions are a thankless task. Nevertheless, a solid experience in the tourism and hospitality…
Top 10 Castles of Ukraine
Ukraine rich in places of interest that can bring a great feeling for anyone visiting them. Hence one of the…
We declare a moratorium on sending tourists to Crimea
In connection with the illegal referendum and Russian annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, SunCity Travel LLC as a…