Press releases

GRODNO, 21 April (BelTA) – Grodno welcomed its 10,000 visa-free tourist, a Lithuanian national,on 21 April, BelTA has learned.

Deputy Head of the Education, Sports and Tourism Department of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee Yevgeny Arod gave a symbolic present to Zinaida Mishkinene from Vilnius.

According to the tourist, she learned about a tour to Grodno by chance. “I went on a tour and did not regret it,” Zinaida Mishkinene said. “the last time I visited Belarus was in the Soviet period. Now I saw a beautiful clean city with interesting historical sites.” From now on Zinaida will recommend visa-free tours to Grodno to her relatives and friends.

“The tourist season has not yet started but Grodno Oblast has already hosted 10,000 visa-free tourists,” Yevgeni Arod noted. “We see that Grodno is quite popular among our neighbors and citizens of other countries. The number of tourists increases week by week.” In January-February 2017 the export of tourism services grew by over €70,000 as against the same period of 2016. “According to the data provided by tour operators, virtually all rooms in hotels and hostels are booked for summer 2017. Tourism infrastructure is growing rapidly, the region is building more accommodation and food facilities, developing a tourist navigation system, setting up more information signs and services,” Yevgeny Arod said. Full information on visa-free tours to Grodno is available on the website grodnovisafree.by.

Decree No. 318 on the introduction of visa-free travel to the Augustow Canal for foreigners came into force on 26 October. The document permits foreign nationals to stay on the territory of the park and its surroundings for a period of up to five days. Ten thousand foreign travelers have taken the advantage of the visa-free regulations. Most of them come from Poland and Lithuania.