MINSK, 26 July (BelTA) - Construction of a 150km-long cycling route is underway in Volozhin District, BelTA learnt from Alexander Belyi, host of the agrotourism farmstead Martsinava Gus.
The cycling route, currently unnamed, runs across picturesque and historical places, forests and local roads of Volozhin District. According to Alexander Belyi, the route is perfect for tourists who want to spend some time at agrotourism farmsteads. The location of the cycling route is advantageous because it begins and ends at railway stations.
A trial cycle race was held in early July to test the new route. The end of the route runs through the territory of neighboring Molodechno District.
Alexander Belyi said that works to mark out the route and equip it with various facilities will begin before long. This work will be carried out by volunteers, mostly by members of the Minsk Cycling Community. The western part of the route which runs to the agrotourism farmstead Martsinava Gus will be ready in August, with the rest of the route to be completed in 2014.
Alexander Belyi said that the Volozhin District route or its section may become part of the EuroVelo 2 network which begins in Ireland and ends in Russia. “This depends on the popularity of our route and availability of various facilities. We will need to improve the line so that it meets European standards. This will require considerable financing. We will also need to build repair stations for cycles along the route,” he said.
The new route is the result of the operation of the new Volozhin tourism cluster created in 2009. The cluster is an association of several tourist facilities united to provide tourism services. Tourists who stay in a particular agrotourism farmstead can get familiar with local sights, folklore and crafts, which means interaction with other tourism facilities. Tourists will be able to enjoy excursion tours, too.
According to Deputy Head of the Personnel and Tourism Office of the Sport and Tourism Department of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee Inga Malashkevich, the creation of tourism clusters will benefit both tourism facilities and districts. “We need to try to use all resources available even in the remote places of Belarus. It is important that owners of all tourism facilities are interested in mutual assistance. Only in this case we will be able to speak about full-fledged development of tourism in Belarus,” she added.
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