BREST, 26 August (BelTA) – Since the start of the year Brest has welcomed tourists from 59 countries under the country's visa-free travel program, BelTA learned from Brest First Vice Mayor Vadim Kravchuk.
According to the operational data, some 19,300 visa-free tourists visited the city. The number doubled in comparison with the data from the previous year. Poland accounted for 75% of Brest's foreign visitors. The Belarusian city also welcomed citizens of Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. Since the introduction of the visa-free travel Brest has been visited by about 37,000 foreign guests.
Almost 65% of visitors come to Brest for two and more days. “Thanks to visa-free travel a big number of people get an opportunity to see Brest and take part in its 1,000th anniversary celebrations. We are constantly searching for new interesting things to attract tourists,” Vadim Kravchuk said.
Visitors are interested in seeing the Brest Fortress, taking a stroll along Sovetskaya Street and the Alley of Lanterns. New landmarks are the recently spruced-up embankment of the Mukhavets River and the Public Garden, the light and music fountain in the pedestrian street. According to Vadim Kravchuk, the Millennium Park and the Brest Puppet Theater are looking at a bright future as well.
“Time requires new tourist routes. Our city was destroyed and rebuilt anew many times. Every yard of it has its life, its legends. This history needs to be preserved and told about,” Vadim Kravchuk said.
