Chernobyl to Attract Tourists

World | December 13, 2010, Monday // 17:07|  views

The Chernobyl zone. File photo

The Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situation plans to attract more tourists to Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

The Ukrainian authorities will attempt to lure the tourists with guided tours in the former nuclear power plant.

"I think that the format of such tours can be expanded and, if we intensify our cooperation with the Emergencies Ministry, the number of tourists could be increased," head of the Ukrainian State Service for Tourism and Resorts Anatoliy Pakhlya said.

"Tours to Chernobyl can be classified as extreme tourism," Pakhlya explained.

He stated that the tours would help a lot of people to get acquainted with the history of the tragic disaster.

On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl plant, near the Ukrainian city of Prypia? had a meltdown. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Some countries, including Bulgaria, shared information with its citizens about the disaster extremely late, thus worsening the effects.

Today, about 2 500 employees maintain the remains of the now-closed nuclear plant, working in shifts to minimize their exposure to radiation. Several hundred evacuees have returned to their villages in the area despite a government ban. A few firms now offer tours to the restricted area, but the government says those tours are illegal and their safety is not guaranteed.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!


Tags: Chernobyl, tourists, tours, Nuclear Power Plant, disaster

Back  

» Related Articles:

Search

Search