Russia was the most popular destination among Belarusian tourists
in 2023, Director of the Tourism Department of the Sports and
Tourism Ministry Irina Voronovich told BelTA’s The Nation Speaks
project,Azernewsreports, citing BelTa.According to Irina Voronovich, last year Belarusians traveled to
Russia the most. The ministry and Russian regions concluded
memorandums and agreements and developed a number of itineraries.Russian tourists also love visiting Belarus. “This is very
gratifying. Today we are considering the development of
cross-border itineraries with our neighbor, specifically with the
border regions. This will make traveling more convenient for both
Russians and Belarusians,” said the specialist.Other popular destinations included countries where Belarusians can
get to using direct flights – Egypt and Türkiye. Member states of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were also of interest to
Belarusians.In 2023, Belarus stepped up cooperation with Chinese partners.
“This year this work will be continued, because a memorandum has
been signed and tourism operators have been identified to interact
with Chinese partners,” Irina Voronovich remarked.In addition to that, direct flights to China and India were
launched last year. “Belarusians are very curious about Asian
destinations, because these countries have a completely different
history and culture that will leave no one indifferent. They also
have excellent ski resorts. We see that this type of tourism is
gaining traction,” Irina Voronovich said.In 2023, Belarus’ tourism industry was gradually recovering. “Of
course, we need to build on what we achieved last year, as well as
to intensify contacts with Russian regions, the SCO countries and
all other countries where Belarusians can fly. Logistics is an
important factor. When planning a trip, people are looking at
countries where they can get to in the easiest and most convenient
way. Some people travel to Goa and Bali, but their number is not as
large as it was before the pandemic. People are getting their
travel bug back little by little. We should also mention that
people are also eager to discover and explore their own country,”
Irina Voronovich concluded.—Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
