Chernobyl Has Become A Dark Tourist Attraction
Despite the fact that the exclusion zone is still uninhabitable, the Ukrainian government opened it up to tourism in 2011. Since then, tour guides have been taking guests to see the wildlife and explore the abandoned ghost villages that dot the terrain. Pripyat, for example, had a population of over 45,000 people at one time, which included the majority of the plant workers and their families. The guides carry dosimeters and advise their guests not to eat or smoke outside to reduce radiation exposure. Tour agencies have estimated a 40% increase in tourists since the HBO miniseries "Chernobyl" aired in 2019.
Its popularity has resulted in an influx of visitors to the Ukrainian site, with some of them posting photos of themselves posing with the ruined buildings and vehicles left behind by individuals fleeing for their life. While tourists can already visit Chernobyl with a guide, there is currently no formal Ukrainian law regulating tourism in the exclusion zone.
Authorities kept the exclusion zone around the reactor, which included the city of Pripyat, in place for more than two decades. The city had a population of 50,000 inhabitants before the accident. Despite the disaster's devastating repercussions, the President lauded the area's environmental restoration over the years.
