Lviv (Ukraine) (AFP)

In the historic heart of Lviv, Saudis in traditional clothes ride in horse-drawn carriages and play chess with local residents.

Unheard of in this western Ukrainian city usually visited by Europeans.

Rejected by anti-Covid restrictions for travelers to Western Europe, tourists from Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are turning this year to the charms of Ukraine, where they have been flocking since June.

Before the crisis, Asma, a 32-year-old Saudi woman, traveled regularly to the Old Continent with her husband and two sons.

This summer, for the first time, the family explored Lviv and the capital Kiev.

“The bars, the food, the coffee… all things here are amazing,” she enthuses, in front of the iconic Lviv opera house.

"We must seize this opportunity", pleads guide Bogdan Gets.

His agency, "Tchoudo Tour", transports tourists by train through the cobbled streets of Lviv, renowned for its architecture combining Renaissance, classical and Art Nouveau styles.

- Increase of 3,900% -

In the first half of 2021, the number of Saudi tourists visiting Ukraine reached 14,000 people against only 350 a year earlier, according to the Ukraine Tourism Agency, an increase of 3,900%.

Until then, Lviv, one of the country's main tourist destinations, was mainly visited by Poles, Belarusians, Turks, Germans and British.

Tourists from the Gulf countries at a café terrace, August 15, 2021 in Lviv, Ukraine Sergei GAPON AFP

After traveling across Europe and the United States, Hassan, a 64-year-old Saudi businessman, this time chose Ukraine on the recommendation of friends.

He says he is "very happy" with his stay of almost a month in a country where it is "easy to travel".

Unlike Westerners, "always condescending" towards Gulf nationals, Hassan finds the former Soviet republic "more energetic, more dynamic" and admires the "family" values ​​of Ukrainians.

"We will definitely come back with our daughter and our son," he says, sitting on the terrace of a cafe in Kiev with his wife wearing a hijab.

According to Anna Naïda, manager of the "Kredens Cafe" chain in Lviv, the arrival of Arab tourists caught restaurant owners by surprise, who had to adapt quickly.

After the first shock, its cafes printed menus in Arabic and, to respect Muslim customs, replaced pork with chicken in their sandwiches.

“And we don't have alcohol on the menu, that's our asset,” adds Ms. Naïda.

Tourists from the Gulf Countries take a city tour in a horse-drawn carriage on August 13, 2021 in Lviv, Ukraine Sergei GAPON AFP

Souvenir shops also have signs in Arabic.

"It's a push for change," summarizes Anna Naïda.

- The rain, a "kif" -

Coming from very arid climates, these tourists particularly appreciate the Ukrainian trees and rain, Khrystyna Kagouï, of the Reikartz hotel group in Lviv, told AFP.

"The rooms which give, even slightly, on trees or the park are in great demand", she notes, specifying to receive mainly large families.

A tourist from the Gulf Countries walks past a street musician on August 14, 2021 in Lviv, Ukraine Sergei GAPON AFP

Guide Bogdan Gets tells him that he has never seen adults so happy to be in the rain.

"It's the kif for them. They say they came to Lviv on purpose, they are only interested in that."

For Asma, the raindrops are even "magic".

"It looks like paradise," she exclaims, while promising to come back to Ukraine every year.

For local media, however, this popularity may drop once restrictions are lifted in Western Europe.

And the sector's overall recovery remains slow overall, despite this new wave of tourists.

Tourists from the Gulf Countries in the rain in a street in Lviv, August 17, 2021 in Ukraine Sergei GAPON AFP

The number of foreign visitors to Ukraine was divided by 4.5 in 2020 over one year.

And it grew only 9% in the first half of 2021 compared to the previous six months.

© 2021 AFP