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Adjusting Country Forum Listings?

I noticed that there is no listing for Ukraine, Lithuania or Latvia on the forums here. Once the current war is over (and assuming it is in Ukraine's favor) I believe that there will be a tremendous pent up demand for people to visit Ukraine given the exposure that we have been having so far as to its courageous people, rich culture and history. A tour that would include Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa as its highlights would probably do very well and I'm sure that there would be no shortage of proud Ukrainians willing to show off their country as RS tour guides plus it would help bring in needed post-war revenue as the country undergoes reconstruction. It would also make sense to add the Baltic countries of Lithuania and Latvia given that neighboring Estonia and Finland are already listed. A tour that includes these countries as well as perhaps Poland makes a great deal of sense. I would also suggest that the listing for Russia should be removed, I would imagine that there will be virtually no interest in people wanting to visit that country in the years to come absent dramatic positive changes.

Please Note: this inquiry is primarily directed at RS staff for review and consideration.

Posted by
4180 posts

I totally agree, once the war is won, could be a few months maybe even a few years, international tourism could play an important role in the Reconstruction of Ukraine. I think a Rick Steves tour of Ukraine is also a good idea.

However I'm not sure posting this on a public forum is the right way to get the message across, you may want to just email Rick Steve's Europe directly. Outside of the moderators, I don't think any of the staff actually look at the forums.

Posted by
30 posts

@ Carlos, you raise a good point, I should probably email RS on this topic as well. I figured that the mods would convey my requests/thoughts onwards to RS but emailing them as well couldn't hurt.

Posted by
10597 posts

As far as I know the only mods are Rick Steves staff, primarily the webmaster. You would do better to contact the RSE office directly.

Posted by
4803 posts

Well to add to that thought, it might be nice to have a Forum country designation. I agree with David on the potential demand - and having a place to discuss travel plans already in place would be nice. I know with the new personal contacts I have had the fortune to develop so far in this war, Ukraine will have to be on my list as soon as it is safe. So maybe the Webmaster can mull that over (since I have no idea what is involved in the technical aspect of adding a destination).

Posted by
33809 posts

It is a good suggestion, but I will say that pre-covid they were reluctant to add or revise the country and Forum lists; since the last 2 years they are now very short staffed and with many urgent requirements, I would be very surprised if any modifications to the country list / Forum list can happen any time soon.

Still, send an email and see what is said.

I'll be watching for the answer.....

Posted by
8963 posts

I'd love to go on such a tour. But I think there will be just as many people afraid to go there, as it is unlikely it will turn into a completely peaceful situation for years. The adventurous people who hang out here on the forum are just a small part of the customer base that RSE draws from. They would have to be confident that the demand would support a continuing tour program there.

Posted by
30 posts

Ok so I sent my email last night to RSE per the helpful suggestions here and am awaiting a reply (hopefully) which I can then share with you all. I figured I'd post here in the first place because the webmaster would be involved in any physical changes to the website format in terms of adding/ subtracting countries. To be successful, any tours to Ukraine would need to be conducted in a safe post-war environment which I think would be met with a very favorable response under such conditions and given the educational exposure we have all been subjected to in these past 8 months.

Adding Lithuania and Latvia to the list makes a great deal of sense since these Baltic countries tie in nicely with touring for Poland, Estonia and Finland plus they have a lot to offer in terms of their culture and history. Russia has earned the dubious distinction of being a pariah state due to its wars of aggression on neighbors which include numerous war crimes against civilians, I think most people will take a pass on the need to visit Moscow's Red Square or St. Petersburg's Winter Palace etc. for the foreseeable future so de-listing it would seem appropriate.