MINSK, 30 June (BelTA) – UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili suggested holding the UNWTO General Assembly session in Minsk in 2023 to discuss the most burning issues of the tourism industry, the press service of the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry told BelTA following the talks of Belarusian Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk with the UNWTO secretary general.
According to Zurab Pololikashvili, he came to Belarus during the 2nd European Games for a reason. In fact, big sports events always draw a great number of tourists. The secretary general noted that he would like to see how this multi-sports project is going on, because UNWTO has plans to focus on sports tourism in the near future. With this in mind, the organization studies proposals and projects that might involve international sports organizations, individual clubs and renowned athletes.
“Zurab Pololikashvili suggested that Belarus should prepare a report on the impact of the 2nd European Games on foreign arrivals and deliver this report at one of international events under the aegis of UNWTO. He noted that the World Tourism Organization has plans to declare 2020 the year of agro-ecotourism and the experience that Belarus amassed in promoting this tourism segment could be useful to other countries,” the press service informed.
Another area of focus for UNWTO is encouraging local communities to promote tourism in the regions. According to Zurab Pololikashvili, this will help create new jobs, promote new tourist destinations and build and improve infrastructure.
He noted that Belarus has an advantageous location. “You have unique history and culture, friendly people and well-developed infrastructure. It is important to step up efforts to increase awareness of the country's tourist offerings,” he said.
Sergei Kovalchuk informed Zurab Pololikashvili about Belarus' efforts to grow its tourism industry. In fact, the government offered a 30-day visa waiver and introduced amendments to the national laws, and embarked on a marketing push to increase its presence on the global tourism market.
The minister emphasized that the ministry took on board recommendations of UNWTO specialists with who the ministry built contacts a long time ago.
Sergei Kovalchuk emphasized that Belarus' tourism industry holds a lot of promise. “We are actively promoting sports tourism, medical tourism, business tourism and agro-ecotourism. An increasing number of foreigners come here for Belarusian cultural heritage offerings. Nevertheless, Belarus wants more international visitors. UNWTO expertise would be of great help in this regard,” he said.
