Online-Based Competitions in Educational Tourism in Ukraine: an Empirical Study in Crisis Contexts

Information and communication technologies have become widely integrated into education in Ukraine and globally. Their relevance significantly increased during crisis periods, particularly under COVID-19 quarantine restrictions and martial law in Ukraine. At the same time, the application of distance-based formats in educational tourism remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of this article is to generalize and scientifically interpret the experience of organizing online competitions in sports tourism and orienteering in Ukraine during 2020–2023. The study analyzes the practice of implementing such events by the Ukrainian State Center for National-Patriotic Education, Local History and Tourism of Student Youth and regional after-school education institutions. The research identifies the main types of tasks used in distance competitions, examines methodological and technical challenges, and analyzes participant composition, workload levels, and technical conditions of participation. The scientific novelty lies in the development of a classification of online competitions by content and technological implementation, as well as in substantiating, through methods of mathematical statistics, the influence of visual stimulus material quality and device type on competition outcomes. Expert evaluation of visual content made it possible to justify methodological approaches aimed at minimizing the impact of technical factors. The practical significance of the study consists of outlining ways to improve the organization of online competitions, including mechanisms for preventing academic dishonesty and violations of the Fair Play principle, as well as recommendations for task design that account for participants’ technical capabilities. The findings confirm that, under appropriate methodological and technical conditions, online competitions can serve as an effective instrument of educational tourism in crisis contexts and a complementary format to face-to-face activities.