BREST, 3 October (BelTA) – Brest tourist information centers will be set up in Polish towns located near the Belarusian border, BelTA learned from head of the sports and tourism sector of the Brest City Hall Olesya Okrug.
The Brest City Hall launched this initiative in cooperation with local travel agencies. This initiative sparked an interest in travel operators of Poland. In particular, partners from the Polish towns of Bialystok and Wlodawa voiced their interest in opening such centers. Talks are underway with local authorities of Terespol and Biala Podlaska.
Brest tourist information centers will inform visitors about this ancient Belarusian city, its history and places of interest, the visa-free area and border crossing rules. The centers will also distribute maps of Brest in the Polish language and the Brest Pass offering discounts in stores and museums. The first tourist information centers are to open in the Polish border areas in October.
“It is very important for us to expand cross-border cooperation with Polish regions. Brest has great potential for promoting nostalgic and medical tourism, as well as shopping tourism. Since Brest was included into the visa-free area, the number of local stores offering Tax Free increased 2.5 times. This initiative will also facilitate children's sports,” Olesya Okrug underlined.
Brest joined the 10-day visa waiver program on 1 January 2018. About 13,000 foreigners took advantage of the opportunity to visit the city visa-free. The bulk of tourists come from Poland.