The trend where the entertainment industry continues to grow despite economic challenges and inflation is jokingly called funflation by market players. In Ukraine, this phenomenon is observed even amid the ongoing war. The reasons are simple: people live under constant stress, so they seek any opportunity for joy, want to spend more time with family, relax with children, and shift their focus from negativity to something meaningful.
This was stated by Kateryna Chernyak, Director of a major family entertainment park network in Ukraine, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, reports Humanitarian Media Hub.
“In Ukraine, due to the war and constant tension, this logic is even more pronounced, and I see two completely different theories. The first is that parents want to distract their children from the grim reality and give them a real childhood. The second is that parents are mentally and physically exhausted by the war and blackouts, so they take their child to an amusement park to keep them occupied and get a short break—sit in a café or do some shopping while the child is supervised,” Chernyak notes.
In both cases, the outcome is the same: parents do not refuse their children a visit to amusement parks, even if the motives differ. This explains why demand for entertainment in Ukraine is growing despite the crisis and difficult living conditions.
Another important trend mentioned by the director is the rapid development of e-Сommerce. As shopping increasingly moves online, consumers have fewer reasons to visit malls. If retail used to be the main “anchor” for shopping centers, today this role is shifting to entertainment and food courts, which are becoming the drivers for people to leave home and seek a positive experience.
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