On April 25–26, the team of the Department of Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Management at Ohiienko University (Head of Department Veronika Butorina; Associate Professors Tetiana Marusei, Bohdana Opria, and Taisiia Veselovska; Senior Lecturer Andrii Khoptiar) actively participated in the National Tourism Forum “Tourism UA: Change or Be Changed?”
Among the invited speakers were representatives of government authorities, entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality sectors, community leaders with successful tourism development cases, heads of relevant university departments from across Ukraine, international guests, subject-matter experts, leaders of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine (DART), and well-known travel influencers.
Students majoring in Tourism and Recreation, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Tourism Business and Hospitality Industry proudly represented the university at the event. As volunteers, they took on roles such as travel guides and event managers, assisted in organizing culinary master classes, attended various professional panel discussions, and networked with inspiring individuals. This hands-on experience of helping organize and run a two-day forum proved highly valuable for future professionals in tourism and hospitality.
The forum covered a broad range of timely and thought-provoking topics. Participants explored the role of tourism during wartime, discussed the development of business, international, and green tourism, and examined how domestic tourism can serve as a means of rehabilitation and leisure for military personnel and their families. Other key areas of focus included the potential of small communities as emerging tourist destinations, the importance of accessibility in rehabilitation, sports, and social tourism, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of the industry. The forum also highlighted innovations such as SMART city solutions for enhancing visitor experiences, the role of digital marketing in promoting regional brands and destinations, and the rich gastronomic heritage of Ukraine’s historical regions.
Tetiana Marusei, academic coordinator of the master’s degree program Tourism and Hospitality Industry, and Head of Department Veronika Butorina, discussed principles and methods of training future specialists with colleagues including Volodymyr Kazakov (Head of the Department of Tourism and Economics, Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University), Oleksandr Kovalenko (Head of the Department of Tourism, Sumy National Agrarian University), Valentyna Chychun (Head of the Department of Management, Marketing, and International Logistics, Chernivtsi Institute of Trade and Economics of the State University of Trade and Economics), and Associate Professor Tetiana Nezveshchuk-Kohut.
The forum concluded with the signing of a memorandum on the creation of a Kamianets-Podilskyi Tourism Cluster, uniting representatives of the hotel and restaurant industry, educational institutions, and public organizations.
Department of Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Management