Press releases

MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) - More than 230 tour guides will be ready to show off the Belarusian capital to the guests of the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in foreign languages, including in Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism Cheslav Shulga told reporters, BelTA has learnt.

The National Tourism Agency and the official tour operator of the 2014 IIHF World Championship TsentrKurort developed more than 40 tourist offers.

More than 1,300 tour guides have taken training courses. Audio guides in Chinese will soon be offered to passengers of double-decker tourist buses in Minsk. "We view China, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore as serious markets for export of our tourist services, and therefore we are working on appropriate proposals for visitors from these countries," said Cheslav Shulga.

The development of tourism infrastructure is part of the national plan of action for the Year of Hospitality in 2014. As expected, major tourist events will be the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, and the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.