Deputy minister: Belarus' tourism industry bounced back after pandemic

Deputy Sports and Tourism Minister Oleg Andreichik told reporters about the state of affairs in Belarus' tourism industry prior to the ceremony to award winners of the Discover Belarus nationwide competition at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater, BelTA has learned.

“The Discover Belarus competition is a kind of bottom line that allows us to take stock of the industry's performance. Today we see that our efforts to promote domestic tourism are bearing fruit. The number of tourists is record high. According to preliminary estimates, more than 1.6 million Belarusians bought tours to domestic destinations in 2023. Let me remind you that in 2019 this figure was 1.3 million,” noted Oleg Andreichik.

Inbound tourism is also doing pretty well. “Belarus is among the most popular destinations for Russian tourists, we are going to see an influx of tourists from Russia during New Year holidays. All accommodation facilities in Minsk and the oblast capitals have been booked and sold out, with Russian tourists booking 65-67% of the accommodation. It is expected that about six million foreign tourists will visit Belarus by the end of the year. The visa waiver helps bring more tourists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. These tourists come not only for shopping, but also for recuperation and recreation at sanatoriums and on tours bought from travel agencies,” the deputy minister said.

According to him, the industry has recovered after the pandemic. “Both outbound and inbound tourism is on the rise,” said Oleg Andreichik.