MINSK, 15 January (BelTA) – There is significant potential in developing the country’s tourism sector, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he approved the appointment of Kirill Masharsky as Director of the National Tourism Agency on 15 January, BelTA has learned.
“It’s fantastic when tourists visit. I often say we shouldn’t just focus on shipping and selling products somewhere. They gladly buy our food, clothing, shoes, cosmetics. They buy it all. Why do they buy? Because the quality is acceptable and the prices are fairly reasonable,” the head of state said. “Affluent people travel, people with money who are ready to spend it. That’s great. Let them spend, buy the goods, and take them home themselves. It means less centralized logistics for us.”
"I was in Oman recently and spoke with officials; they are currently pushing tourism development very hard. In the Emirates, it’s actually the top revenue earner. Not oil or gas, and they have plenty of that, but tourism is now number one, with oil and gas taking second place. Visitors arrive and spend enormous sums. I’m not saying we’ll become like the Emirates, and we don’t need to right away. We’d have more money than we’d know what to do with. But we should gradually progress in that direction. We have a lot to show and offer people,” the president said.
“Europe has been polluted for a long time, regardless of how they boast or speak about it. What remains are Belarus and Russia, destinations where you can come to breathe fresh air and also purchase quality goods. That’s why tourism must be developed. This newly established agency, which I consider not just a reassignment but essentially a fresh creation at the highest level, within the government, must yield tangible results. I wish you every success,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president recalled that the plan is to more than double tourism contribution to GDP during the five-year plan, raising it to 4.5%. The National Tourism Agency is central to this effort. “If we had greater tourism capacity today, we’d already be generating significant income and could reliably hit that 4-5% GDP target. However, we are short on that capacity. We must both modernize the existing base and build it up,” the head of state said.
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