MINSK, 10 January (BelTA) – The Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry expects a 20% increase in tourist arrivals after the launch of visa-free travel to Belarus, Vitaly Gritsevich, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of the Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry, told a press briefing at BelTA's press center on 10 January.
“The Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry expects that the number of tourist arrivals will go up by 20%. First of all, our attention is focused on the countries of Europe, North America, and the Persian Gulf. We keep in mind the trade and economic cooperation that we have developed with these countries,” Vitaly Gritsevich noted.
Some time ago, Belarus introduced visa-free travel for citizens of Israel, Turkey and several other countries. “Since the launch of visa-free travel, the number of Israeli nationals coming to Belarus has doubled, and the number of visits from Turkey has risen 1.5 times,” Vitaly Gritsevich said.
The Sport and Tourism Ministry believes that the number of tourists will increase mainly thanks to individual travelers. Therefore, the ministry plans to focus on the work to improve the quality of service and infrastructure not only in Minsk but also in regional and district centers.
Belarus introduced visa-free entry through the border checkpoint at the Minsk National Airport and visa-free stay in Belarus for up to 5 days for citizens of 80 states. The president's decree applies to citizens of 39 countries of Europe, including the entire European Union, Brazil, Indonesia, the USA, Japan, and other countries. The document aims to raise the number of business trips, tourism and private visits of people with regular passports and will not apply to foreigners on official trips with diplomatic, service, special and similar passports.
