MINSK, 22 August (BelTA) – The average occupancy rate of Belarusian health resorts in summer 2019 was around 90%, with some resorts reporting the rate of more than 90%, BelTA learned from the National Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium Treatment of the Population.
Summer is traditionally the high season, but Belarusian health resorts are quite busy throughout the year. “The annual average occupancy rate comes at around 80%,” the center noted.
Health resorts help boost services export. “Over 200,000 foreign citizens come to Belarus for recreation and recuperation annually, bringing in around $100 million. In 2018 and in the first half of 2019, Belarus saw an increase in the income from export of such services. Last year, the revenue from providing recreation and recuperation services to foreigners was 13.2% up over 2017 and totaled Br193.3 million. In the first half of 2019, the revenue rose by 14% year-on-year and amounted to Br89.3 million,” the center said.
According to preliminary estimates, the revenue from the export of services of health resorts will total around Br222 million in 2019. Over 220,000 foreigners are expected to come to Belarus for recuperation this year.
“Belarusian health resorts attract people from more than 50 countries. Russians account for 86% of all foreigners, guests from Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, and Poland make up around 2% each, visitors from Estonia, Israel, and Germany – 1% each. Guests from Kazakhstan and China account for 0.3% each, and the remaining 3% are citizens of other countries,” representatives of the center said. “In 2015-2018, the number of visitors from the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Israel, China, the UK, and Georgia more than doubled. In the same period, the number of visitors from Russia went 25% up, and from Kazakhstan – 39% up. Last year, Belarusian health resorts welcomed almost 197,000 and 767 guests from these countries respectively.”
Experts point out that the services export geography expanded primarily thanks to the Belarusian visa-free travel program and active participation of Belarusian health resorts in international expos (in Russia, Georgia, Poland, Latvia, Italy, and other countries). Another factor is advertising health resorts by designing websites of such facilities and translating them into foreign languages, publishing information in other websites (like vetliva.by, sanatorii.by, export.by, and others) and foreign media.
The future growth of export volume and geography will be fueled by the expansion of visa-free zones, longer periods of visa-free stay, and the establishment of more spa centers in Belarusian health resorts.
