Chernobyl is one of the most visited places for dark tourism (Image via: BBC)

Chernobyl Will Be the Official Tourist Destination in Ukraine

Kirana Chandra Mumpuni Budiana
Business & Industry
Construction & Infrastructure
Jul 13, 2019
2668
It has been almost 33 years since a reactor at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. The tragedy had caused approximately 31 deaths and millions of people got the exposure of dangerous radiation levels. The data from UN revealed there are 9000 cancer deaths related to it in 2005. Meanwhile, Greenpeace gave a bigger number, 200.000 fatalities of health problem connected to the tragedy. Chernobyl determined as exclusion zone since then, including the city of Pripyat. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a plan to fix the areas in Chernobyl and make it a proper, as well as official tourist destination.

Although most of the Chernobyl’s area has been open for tourist since 2011, there’s no official law to arrange the tourism in that place. Zelensky said that without official law, it becomes the root of black markets. Currently, the exclusion zone is a symbol of corruption because the security officials often receive bribes from tourist. There are also illegal export of scrap and the use of natural resources. Therefore, the president makes plan to set electronic ticketing. The government will also develop new routes including waterways, building new checkpoints, then restoring and upgrading existing ones. Not only that, the mobile phone communication will be fixed. Many groundless restrictions and prohibitions will be abolished, including ban on filming. Currently, a new metal dome already came to Chernobyl. It will encase the destroyed reactor in order to prevent radioactive material from leaking out.

All restorations will be created to support the goal, which as Zelensky said, to turn the zone into a scientific and upcoming tourist magnet. The Chernobyl’s area can be the land of freedom, without unnecessary prohibitions and corruption. Right now, it’s already become one of the most popular examples of dark tourism. The term is regarded as visiting sites associated with death and suffering, such as Nazi concentration camps in Europe or the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. The recent HBO mini-series about Chernobyl also increasing the number of visitors since last year. So it’s important to improve the area with some touches from the government. Despite all of it, more scientific research and funds for radiobiological study was needed, as told by Olena Burdo, a junior researcher at the radiobiology and radioecology department of the Kyiv Institute for Nuclear Research.

Source: https://www.9news.com.au/world/chernobyl-opening-for-tourists-officially-nuclear-meltdown-ukraine-news/4417bad5-3e27-452c-ba61-a7c93970556d

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