Sports and Tourism Ministry: about 1,400 religious sites in Belarus included in programmes of tourist routes and excursions

About 1,400 religious sites are included in the tourist routes and excursion programmes in Belarus – as noted by Darya Shibeko, a consultant at the Department of Planning and Organisation of Tourist Activities of the Sports and Tourism Ministry, sb.by reports

January has been declared the month of religious tourism in Belarus, and a number of events aimed at presenting the country’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage are scheduled.

“Religious tourism is developing in two directions in the republic: pilgrimage and sightseeing,” Ms. Shibeko said. “Our spiritual and cultural values represent a huge potential for organising excursions and developing new routes. By now, about 1,400 religious sites have been included in the excursion lists.”

As noted, up to 85 percent of all routes cover religious sites somehow. “This is probably the most integrated type of tourism, which is very harmoniously combined with historical, cultural, and event tourism," the expert emphasised.

Ms. Shibeko added that religious tourism in Belarus is developing under the auspices of the Government, and a working group on the promotion of this direction has been created at the Council of Ministers. Its activities are overseen by the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, and the group actively co-operates with the Sports and Tourism Ministry, the National Tourism Agency, regional executive committees, and others.

As noted by the expert, religious tourism is being promoted in several directions: i.e. the National Tourism Agency regularly organises educational seminars for representatives of the tourism industry, and this work yields results.

“In 2023, the Religious Tourism Object nomination was introduced as part of the annual Get to Know Belarus competition, and 47 applications were received. Last year, their number reached 126, so we see the growing interest and are very pleased with this positive trend. With this in view, the initiative will be further supported,” Ms. Shibeko said.