AwesomeKyiv.com: A Digital Gateway to Authentic Urban Exploration

About The Project

Awesome Kyiv is a dynamic tour platform designed to showcase Kyiv through the eyes of a passionate local guide. HighCraft.io developed a visually engaging website to highlight unique tours, which blend history, urban exploration, and Kyiv’s hidden gems. The platform features tour booking, immersive photo galleries, client reviews, and a blog sharing insights into the city’s architecture, culture, and contrasts. The website serves as a one-stop hub for international visitors seeking authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences.

About the Client

Awesome Kyiv is a tour company offering unconventional, locally crafted experiences in Ukraine’s capital. Founded by Kyiv native Alina Virstiuk, the company curates immersive adventures—like the Awful Kyiv Tour and Kyiv Backyards Tour—that reveal the city’s raw beauty, hidden history, and urban contrasts. Targeting adventurous travelers and culture enthusiasts, Awesome Kyiv combines storytelling with community-driven tourism, partnering with local artists and businesses to showcase authentic Kyiv. Recognized for its innovative approach, the company has built a global following and earned features in travel guides like Lonely Planet, all while advocating for sustainable, off-the-beaten-path exploration.

The Business Challenge

1. Standing out in a saturated market: Traditional tour platforms lacked personality and failed to convey Alina’s unique storytelling approach.
2. Post-pandemic recovery: Rebuilding international tourism trust and visibility after COVID-19 disruptions.
3. Operational inefficiencies: Manual booking processes and fragmented communication with clients.
4. Authenticity gap: Most Kyiv tours focused on mainstream landmarks, neglecting the city’s raw, unexplored corners.
5. Global reach: Attracting diverse audiences (e.g., U.S., Australian, Indian travelers) while maintaining a local, human-centric brand.

Project Goals

1. Design a visually striking website that reflects Kyiv’s contrasts (e.g., decay vs. modernity).
2. Streamline tour bookings with a user-friendly form and automated confirmation emails.
3. Showcase Alina’s personality and expertise through multimedia content (blogs, photo galleries).
4. Integrate real client reviews and social proof (TripAdvisor, Instagram).
5. Optimize for mobile users and multilingual SEO to attract global travelers.
6. Provide back-end tools for Alina to manage tours, update content, and track bookings.

Results

• 300% increase in bookings within six months of launch, with 70% from international travelers.
• 4.9/5 average rating across 150+ reviews, highlighting Alina’s storytelling and Kyiv’s hidden gems.
• 40% of traffic from organic search, driven by blog content like “Kyiv’s Urban Decay: Beauty in the Broken.”
• Streamlined operations: Automated booking confirmations reduced administrative tasks by 50%.
• Social media growth: 25% increase in Instagram followers, with user-generated content from tours boosting visibility.
• Featured in Lonely Planet’s “Alternative Kyiv” guide, cementing Awesome Kyiv’s reputation for unconventional tourism.

The platform has become a model for hyper-local tourism, with plans to expand into virtual reality previews of tour routes and a partner network of Kyiv cafes/bars. HighCraft continues to support Alina in scaling her vision while preserving the site’s authentic, community-driven ethos.