Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 17 December (BelTA) – The Belarusian major state-run travel agency Tsentrkurort expects a significant increase in tourist traffic from China to Belarus in 2019, BelTA learned from the company’s Director Oleg Mikhailov at a press conference on 17 December.

The Belarusian-Chinese visa-free travel agreement came into force on 10 August 2018. The tourism season in China is nearly over. “It starts in late April and ends in late September over there. So far the Sports and Tourism Ministry, the Information Ministry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have done a huge amount of work. This is why I think that 2019 will be a breakthrough year as far as the quantity parameters of tourist traffic from China are concerned,” believes Oleg Mikhailov.

In 2018 Tsentrkurort welcomed a total of 28 tourist groups from China. The most popular destinations they were interested in include the national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Brest Fortress, the castles in Mir and Nesvizh. Chinese tourists are also interested in the so-called red tourism (places relating to the Communist past), this is why while in Minsk they always visit the house where the first congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDRP) took place.

Chinese tourists sometimes have unusual wishes. For instance, one group wanted to paint their own nesting dolls. A master class was arranged for them at a farm tourism estate under the supervision of an experienced Belarusian craftsman.

Tourists from China are also attracted by shopping opportunities. According to Oleg Mikhailov, they happily buy products made by Neman Glassworks, flax products, milk powder, and Belarusian chocolate.