Tourists began going to the site following the release of the 2009 video game, [[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/07/12/ukraine-wants-chernobyl-be-tourist-trap-scientists-warn-dont-kick-up-dust/</ref> In July 2019 after the site saw a spike in tourism due to HBO's mini-series about the disaster, Ukrainian president [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] announced that the Chernobyl site would become an official tourist attraction. Zelenskyy said, "We must give this territory of Ukraine a new life."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guy |first=Lianne Kolirin, Jack |title=Chernobyl to become official tourist attraction, Ukraine says |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chernobyl-tourist-attraction-intl-scli/index.html |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=CNN |date=11 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48943814|title=Chernobyl to become 'official tourist attraction'|work=BBC News|date=10 July 2019|access-date=16 December 2019|archive-date=12 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212141728/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48943814|url-status=live}}</ref> Dr. T. Steen, a [[microbiology]] and [[immunology]] teacher at Georgetown's School of Medicine, recommends tourists to wear clothes and shoes they are comfortable with throwing away and to avoid plant life.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mettler |first=Katie |date=12 July 2019 |title=Ukraine wants Chernobyl to be a tourist trap. But scientists warn: Don't kick up dust. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/07/12/ukraine-wants-chernobyl-be-tourist-trap-scientists-warn-dont-kick-up-dust/ |access-date=9 May 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
