An archive photo of RIA Novosti
MINSK, 3 March (BelTA) – Director of the National Tourism Agency of Belarus Kirill Masharsky revealed how many Belarusian tourists are currently vacationing in the Middle East on the air of the First News TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
The agency is drawing the attention of all Belarusians currently in the UAE, Qatar, and Oman to the need to remain in a safe place: in their hotel or apartment. They should not leave their accommodation unless absolutely necessary and must strictly follow the requirements of local authorities to ensure personal safety.
According to the National Tourism Agency, more than 3,000 Belarusians who purchased package tours through travel agencies are spending their holidays in the Middle East region: over 2,500 in the UAE, 319 in Oman, and around 200 in Qatar.
“Since the closure of airspace by several Gulf countries, we have established communication with all our diplomatic missions. We also spoke with tour operators to determine the exact number of our citizens in Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, so we clearly understand how many people are there,” Kirill Masharsky noted.
Diplomatic missions quickly organized operations and opened hotlines. “We are receiving calls from our citizens. There is absolutely no panic; we are simply informing people and recommending that they stay in their accommodations and avoid government districts or areas with military facilities,” the head of the agency added. “We have already established approximate numbers of our citizens. For example, there are 186 of our tourists in Doha waiting to return. The chargé d’affaires in Qatar met with them; people are calmly waiting for the situation to be resolved. The possibility of evacuating them via Riyadh in Saudi Arabia is being considered, but this is still under review. We’ll see how events develop.”
There are about 2,500 organized tourists in the UAE. “Our operators and diplomats are working to ensure that the extended stay of our citizens in their accommodations is currently provided free of charge. Supporting our citizens is a key priority for us. We remain in contact. The National Tourism Agency has an open hotline, and diplomatic missions have their own hotlines as well. They respond very quickly and remain in constant communication with citizens,” Kirill Masharsky said.
Tourists who were scheduled to depart for holidays in the UAE, Qatar, or Oman in the coming days must receive a full refund for their tour packages from their tour operators.
The agency is drawing the attention of all Belarusians currently in the UAE, Qatar, and Oman to the need to remain in a safe place: in their hotel or apartment. They should not leave their accommodation unless absolutely necessary and must strictly follow the requirements of local authorities to ensure personal safety.
According to the National Tourism Agency, more than 3,000 Belarusians who purchased package tours through travel agencies are spending their holidays in the Middle East region: over 2,500 in the UAE, 319 in Oman, and around 200 in Qatar.
“Since the closure of airspace by several Gulf countries, we have established communication with all our diplomatic missions. We also spoke with tour operators to determine the exact number of our citizens in Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, so we clearly understand how many people are there,” Kirill Masharsky noted.
Diplomatic missions quickly organized operations and opened hotlines. “We are receiving calls from our citizens. There is absolutely no panic; we are simply informing people and recommending that they stay in their accommodations and avoid government districts or areas with military facilities,” the head of the agency added. “We have already established approximate numbers of our citizens. For example, there are 186 of our tourists in Doha waiting to return. The chargé d’affaires in Qatar met with them; people are calmly waiting for the situation to be resolved. The possibility of evacuating them via Riyadh in Saudi Arabia is being considered, but this is still under review. We’ll see how events develop.”
There are about 2,500 organized tourists in the UAE. “Our operators and diplomats are working to ensure that the extended stay of our citizens in their accommodations is currently provided free of charge. Supporting our citizens is a key priority for us. We remain in contact. The National Tourism Agency has an open hotline, and diplomatic missions have their own hotlines as well. They respond very quickly and remain in constant communication with citizens,” Kirill Masharsky said.
Tourists who were scheduled to depart for holidays in the UAE, Qatar, or Oman in the coming days must receive a full refund for their tour packages from their tour operators.
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