Tours of Chernobyl still subject to tight restrictions

Dec 20, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Kiev - Visits to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine, scene of Europe's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, will in future only be allowed under the strictest of conditions.

All visitors to the area have to undergo a detailed assessment beforehand and can only stay for a maximum of five days. They are also not permitted to enter the radiation-contaminated Chernobyl Exclusion Zone without a guide, tour organizer Yuri Mesentzev told the Ukrainian Kommersant newspaper.

The notice for any visit has increased from 5 to 10 days and must be given in writing to the relevant authorities responsible for policing the Exclusion Zone.

Personal details and an exact description of the route being taken as well as the name of a local contact person are all necessary, with the cost of a trip ranging from between 120 and 170 dollars, says Mesentzev.

It has been possible to enter the Exclusion Zone erected around Chernobyl since last December but the authorities in Kiev have demanded controls be put in place and prevented visits for months.

The new rules require visitors to wear suitable clothing and to undergo a test for increased radiation levels before departure. Not everything in the area can be photographed while it is also forbidden to take away any souvenirs or to smoke.

Minors and people with health problems or considered at risk from radiation are prevented from visiting the site and trips are also dependent on suitable weather conditions.

Travel agents believe that the number of tourists looking to visit the disaster zone will increase in 2012 due to Ukraine's co-hosting of Euro 2012 with Poland. 'The number of visitors has increased annually from 7,000 in 2009 to 10,000,' says Mesentzev.

The Euro 2012 tournament takes place in eight venues across Poland and Ukraine from June 8 until July 1.