Chernobyl Tourism Is Up 40 Per Cent Since HBO Show Premiered

Tourists Are Literally Flocking To Chernobyl

Disaster tourism is well and truly alive, at least if Chernobyl is anything to go by. According to data from local tourism groups, fans of the HBO show are flocking to the Ukrainian nuclear disaster site in droves, increasing tourism in the area by 40 per cent.

According to Reuters, tourism at the power plant site has increased significantly since this time last year, with visitors hoping to get an in-depth look at the eerie ghost town left behind by the meltdown and subsequent exclusion zone.

Yaroslav Yemelianenko, director of Chernobyl Tour, said his company is now offering special tours which visit locations seen in the mini series, which showed its final episode on June 4. He has reported an increase of 30-40 per cent in bookings thanks to the show.

The local town of Pripyat, where the HBO series is set, is a virtual ghost town now. With deformed wildlife, thousands of abandoned buildings and even a creepy ferris wheel, it certainly makes for the perfect post-apocalyptic scene.

Although radiation in the area is higher than the average, it has been marked safe for visitors and short term workers. At present, there is only one functioning restaurant on the site of Chernobyl and employees work two weeks on, two weeks off in order to stay within safe radiation levels.

Planning a summer holiday to Europe? You know where to go!

This story originally appeared on InStyle Australia

Francesca Wallace

Francesca is our Senior Digital Fashion Editor. She can most likely be found eating a big bowl of fries (don’t forget the aioli!), watching something trashy on TV or spending all her money online shopping. She’s interviewed everyone from Nicole Kidman to Kendall Jenner but didn't get a single good photo.