Press releases

19 Dec 2018

Belarusian Father Frost’s estate welcomes up to 7,000 tourists daily

MINSK, 19 December (BelTA) – As Near Year is getting closer, the estate of Belarusian Ded Moroz (Father Frost) in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha receives about 6,000-7,000 visitors daily, Deputy Director General for Tourism of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park Nina Bogush told reporters at BelTA’s press center on 19 December.

“The estate of Father Frost is the most popular attraction in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. It is loved by children and adults alike. It covers 15,000 hectares. In the run-up to New Year, Father Frost receives about 6,000-7,000 visitors daily,” Nina Bogush said. All in all, up to 100,000 tourists come to see the estate during the winter season. The festive atmosphere is created by cozy houses decorated by fretwork, wooden sculptures, a New Year tree and colorful garlands.

The estate of Belarusian Father Frost welcomed guests from 101 states. “The 100th country was Burkina Faso, the 101st was Myanmar. For many tourists from faraway countries it is the first visit to Belarus and they are curious to see how we live,” Father Frost said.

Apart from the estate, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha has an environmental education center and a nature museum, enclosures where one can see bison, bear, deer and other animals living in the national park. The Museum of Folk Life and Old-Time Technology gives a glimpse at the culture and lifestyle of people who lived here in the 19th century. There are biking and hiking trails with the total length of over 400km. Cycling is particularly popular in the summer season. In spring-autumn 2018, over 30,000 tourists came here for cycling.

In January-November 2018, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park welcomed 330,000 tourists, including over 33,000 foreigners. Some 290,000 visitors, including 30,000 foreign nationals visited the national park in the same period a year before. The majority of foreign tourists come from Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania.