Press releases

MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to welcome the General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2023. The proposal was voiced by Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov as he met with UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai on 9 April, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian head of government reminded that Belarus welcomed the ice hockey world championship in May 2014. An absolute attendance record was set in Minsk, while the International Ice Hockey Federation recognized the championship as the best one. “Our country is interested in arranging other large-scale events, too,” noted Andrei Kobyakov. “This is why we would like to suggest to you the possibility of holding a General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in the Republic of Belarus in 2023.” On behalf of the government the Prime Minister assured Taleb Rifai that the country will be able to properly host the event.

On the whole, the head of government noted that Belarus has a very good potential for developing all kinds of tourism: ecological tourism, cultural and educational tourism, religious tourism, ethnic tourism and so on. “Belarus is a country with a rich cultural and historical legacy. In Belarus there are many towns with a history. We have preserved temples, monasteries, palaces, castles, and valuable specimens of architecture, historical and cultural sites. Four of them have been inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List,” said Andrei Kobyakov.

Belarus is famed for its rich nature and water potential. There are great opportunities for the development of farm tourism in Belarus. The Prime Minister noted that Taleb Rifai’s predecessor recommended that Belarus should channel the tourism potential into creating a new brand — farm tourism — when he visited the country in 2007. “At present farm tourism and ecotourism are not only brands of the country but also some of the most successful projects in the tourism industry in Belarus and neighboring countries,” stated Andrei Kobyakov.

The Prime Minister also noted that Belarus welcomes about 5 million tourists every year. According to Andrei Kobyakov, the figure is low. “A lot has yet to be done in order to make Belarusian tourism a highly profitable industry. The experience of the World Tourism Organization will be useful and valuable in that regard,” he said. “In particular, we would be grateful if the World Tourism Organization considers the possibility of sending a technical mission to Belarus for the sake of preparing a tourism development plan and forming the methods to collect tourism industry statistics.”

Talking to reporters before the meeting, Taleb Rifai noted that Belarus is a very important member of the World Tourism Organization. He also shared his impressions of the country. It was his first visit to Belarus and he regretted not having come to Belarus before. Taleb Rifai said he believes that the world needs to know more about Belarus. He was confident that there are many opportunities for tourism development in Belarus.