Deputy Sports and Tourism Minister: we gained right pace in developing co-operation between Belarus and Russian regions

The right pace has been gained in terms of developing interaction between Belarus and Russian regions – as stated by Belarus’ Deputy Sports and Tourism Minister Oleg Andreichik in his talk with the RBC Ufa TV channel

He noted that our country is actively liaising with the regions of its eastern neighbour starting from 2022. As a result, about 4 million Russian tourists visited Belarus last year – 33 percent up against 2022. Both the number of organised trips – paid for through travel companies – and individual trips is growing, being facilitated by a range of factors, primarily logistics. More and more air, rail and bus flights are appearing between the two countries’ cities, strengthening bilateral social and economic relations.

“The concept of tourism and its vectors are being now rethought all over the world, with domestic tourism and travel between friendly neighbours coming to the forefront. People change their attitude towards vacation and go where they are expected, where they are welcome, where it is safe. They travel where there is no language barrier, where culture and traditions are close, where there are shared history and memory. So, tourist flows are being reformatted both in Belarus and Russia: citizens of our countries are visiting each other more actively. The absence of borders also has its role to play. I look at my friends, who easily replaced their vacation in Spain or the Baltic States with travel across Russian regions. The travel preferences of Belarusians in Russia are also changing. Earlier these were mainly trips to Moscow, St. Petersburg, health resorts in the Stavropol Region, to the south, to the sea; now our tourists are travelling everywhere,” Oleg Andreichik noted.

He underlined that Belarus is ready to offer Russian tourists a holiday in sanatoriums and agro-estates, where they can simultaneously taste the cuisine and enjoy nature. Ecological, active, industrial, hunting, cultural, historical and patriotic tourism definitely enjoys popularity among guests from the eastern neighbouring country.

“I’m sure we have something to offer, enabling everyone to find a vacation to suit their interests,” summed up the official.