MINSK, 4 April (BelTA) – Citizens of more than 60 countries have visited Belarus visa-free so far, BelTA learned from Anton Bychkovsky, a spokesman for the State Border Committee of Belarus.
According to the latest data, since the visa-free travel regulations came into effect, Belarus has welcomed more than 8,000 foreign tourists from 61 countries. Most of them came from Germany, Poland, Italy, the USA and the UK. Among visa-free tourists were citizens of countries that are exotic for Belarusians. For instance, Australia, New Zealand, Japan. The list of visa-free tourists also includes citizens of Andorra, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kuwait, Namibia, Panama, Peru, and Singapore.
As Belarusian Sports and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko said during a press conference in the BelTA press center, the five-day visa-free travel rules give reason to hope for a considerable increase in the export of tourism services. In 2016, the export of these services earned $155.2 million (2.4% above the set target). In January 2017, the figure stood at $11.5 million, up by 12.8% from January 2016.
Citizens of 80 countries can stay in Belarus for five days without a visa as of 12 February, provided they enter the country via Minsk National Airport. The regulations apply to citizens of 39 countries of Europe, including the entire European Union, as well as Brazil, Indonesia, the USA, Japan, and other countries.
