Paul Goble
Staunton,
August 11 – Kyiv wants its diplomats to promote the independent identity of
Ukraine abroad, Delovaya stolitsa
reports; but it has generally failed to promote what could be an especially
important ally: Ukrainian tourists abroad who need to become separate and
distinct from Russian ones.
Unfortunately,
the paper says, Ukrainian diplomats have done little to combat the ways tour
companies often treat people from the two nations as if they were one because
it is cheaper and easier to lump them together as Russian speakers (dsnews.ua/politics/turisty-nevidimki-kogda-ukraintsy-perestanut-byt-rossiyanami-11082018100000).
As a result, the
paper says, “Ukrainians are not only forced to coexist with Russians in hotels
but also rely on programs prepared for tourists from Russia and using
Russian-language guides.” Those Ukrainians who travel independently do not face
this problem to the same degree, but even they are often kept in a common
“Russian-language” space.”
“Our diplomatic missions are not involved
with promoting the ‘Ukraine’ brand in those countries where every year tens of
thousands of our fellow citizens take their vacations. As a result, Ukrainian tourists there remain
invisible” because they are treated by others as if they were Russians.
If the Ukrainian government were to
change its approach, tour companies would “rapidly Ukrainize themselves” not
just linguistically but in terms of content.
Any tour company that resisted would lose customers and might even “lose
the right to work in Ukraine,” something few would be willing to risk.
And Ukrainian diplomats should be
doing even more in this regard. “In cities where many Ukrainians take
vacations, there would to be a permanent Ukrainian representation office. Not
only in Ankara, Madrid or Cairo but in Antalya” and elsewhere. That would allow
Kyiv to support Ukrainians and to promote the distinctiveness of Ukraine in the
minds of others.
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