Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – Belarus’ tourism industry has made a big step forward in its development, First Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Maksim Ryzhenkov said at the opening of the international tourism expo Tourbusiness 2017 at the national exposition center BelExpo on 27 September, BelTA has learned.

Maksim Ryzhenkov remarked that the first Tourbusiness exposition mostly featured the tourism opportunities for Belarusian tourists in other countries. “The industry has made a big step forward in its development. Over the years it has become one of the most vigorously developing industries of the national economy. Now we can present Belarus to our guests. We can offer many high-quality services, there are many places of interest,” he said.

Journalists asked Maksim Ryzhenkov what can be done in Belarus to attract more foreign tourists. He said: “It is needed to solve a number of issues. These are further liberalization of visa regulations, improvement of services. Hotels can offer better accommodation services, restaurants can translate their menus, the personnel can also learn foreign languages. It is important to offer dishes that are familiar to foreign guests who want to appear in a habitual environment after trying the Belarusian cuisine.” He also deemed it necessary to raise the number of online resources providing a complex of services to tourists, including accommodation, excursions, etc. A lot has to be done for the development of internal tourism.

Deputy Sport and Tourism Minister Mikhail Portnoy noted that apart from regular participants the exposition is attended by the representatives of Peru. “There is positive dynamics in all sectors of the tourism industry in Belarus. We improve the legal framework in this field, create favorable conditions for tourism business, hold marketing campaigns. The country becomes more open for foreign tourists,” he added.

According to Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Hall Yuri Yurkevich, Minsk becomes the capital of event tourism. “It will host the European Games, the IIHF World Championship. Minsk is proud of its achievements. These are wonderful infrastructure facilities, sports centers, the cultural program in the Upper Town which has already become a brand of the city,” he said.

The international exposition Tourbusiness is held for the 24^th time in Minsk on 27-29 September. It features incoming tourism and travelling abroad, recreational and medical tourism, family recreation and hunting tourism. Sport and tourist apparel, equipment and useful devices, maps and souvenirs are on display at the expo. Tour operators, agents, and transportation companies are attending. The program includes presentations, round tables, and seminars to discuss topical problems of the industry.

The exposition is held by the national exposition center BelExpo of the Belarus President Property Management Directorate together with the Sport and Tourism Ministry.