Press releases

MOSCOW, 18 March (BelTA) – A presentation of Belarus’ tourism opportunities took place in Moscow on 18 March. The Business and Cultural Complex of the Embassy of Belarus in Russia hosted the event, the Embassy’s press service told BelTA.

Representatives of major Belarusian travel agencies, hotels, sanatoriums, and national parks informed Russian partners about the tourism facilities that offer full-value recreation for the entire family, rehabilitation, opportunities for business meetings and conferences. The guests were told about tours specifically designed for Russian tourists to highlight Belarus’ traditions, cultural and historical legacy, and about opportunities for health tourism and ecotourism.

According to Natalia Yeliseyeva, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry, the number of Russian tourists coming to Belarus has been on the rise lately. Held in the run-up to the Intourmarket expo and the Moscow international expo Travel & Tourism, the presentation took into account the fact that Russia accounts for the largest number of tourists, who come to Belarus.

Natalia Yeliseyeva presented a report about new branches of the tourism industry in Belarus. “The development of camping sites and caravanning looks promising,” she said. “An international congress of campers will be held in May. Apart from that, the tourism center Dortur that has been created on the basis of Belarusian Railways works hard to promote railway excursion tours. It offers versatile programs, for example, travelling to the national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha to celebrate the New Year, travelling to Vitebsk for the Slavonic Bazaar festival.”

The presentation was organized by the Embassy of Belarus in Russia, the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry, and the National Tourism Agency.

According to the National Statistics Committee of Belarus, in 2015 Belarus welcomed 70,390 organized Russian tourists. They stayed in Belarus for five days on the average, which is a top record for the Commonwealth of Independent States. In Belarus Russian tourists are attracted to historical monuments, specimens of architecture, art, natural and ethnic peculiarities. Farm tourism is also popular. Russian tourists account for over 80% of the total number of foreign tourists that spend their time at Belarusian farm tourism estates.