Ukraine's aerospace manufacturing plant to become tourist site

KIEV, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The aerospace manufacturing plant Yuzhmash in Ukraine's southeastern city of Dnipro will open its doors to tourists next year, the municipal Dnipro Development Agency (DDA) said on Tuesday.

"We are following the path of real development of innovative space tourism in our city," Anna Kolyeda, the head of the DDA, was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to her, the plant will be open solely for tour groups, who will undergo intense security checks. Individual tourists will be prohibited from visiting the site.

Founded in 1944, the Yuzhmash plant produces space crafts, rocket launch vehicles, rocket engines and other equipment. It works with international aerospace partners in 23 countries.

In the recent years, alternative tourism has been on the rise in Ukraine, which has a string of famous industrial facilities.

The tour operators in the country have started offering tourists with new tourist sites such as deserted and operational industrial areas, including factories, quarries and coal mines. Enditem