MINSK, 28 September (BelTA) – The contribution of the tourism sector to Belarus' economy is planned to increase to 3.1% by 2035, Director of the Tourism Department of the Sports and Tourism Ministry Irina Voronovich said as she spoke at the international conference to discuss prospects and trends of the tourism industry on 28 September, BelTA has learned.
According to Irina Voronovich, the strategic goals of the tourism industry are to increase the industry's contribution to the domestic economy from 2.2% in 2016 to 3.1% in 2035, to grow the export of tourism services up to $1 billion (from $265.4 million in 2019), to increase Belarus' share in international tourism revenue from 0.04% to 0.1%, as well as to enter Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 and Top 50 countries in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.
“We badly need to improve the vertical structure of tourism management: if we approach this matter in a comprehensive and consistent way based on the principles of reasonable and effective management, we will be able to build world-class tourism infrastructure and make the tourism industry a meaningful contributor to economic growth,” she said.
The Sports and Tourism Ministry is in charge of promoting tourism in Belarus through its structural unit - the Tourism Department - and the National Tourism Agency. At the regional level the tourism sector is managed by sports and tourism departments of the regional executive committees and the Minsk City Council, subdivisions of the district executive committees.
