Business news

5 Feb 2019

Number of visa-free visitors to Grodno District up three times in January

GRODNO, 5 February (BelTA) – In January 2019 Grodno and its suburbs were visited by nearly three times as many visa-free tourists as in January 2018, BelTA learned from the sport and tourism department of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee.

From 1 January to 3 February 2019, over 6,800 foreigners took advantage of visiting Grodno and Grodno District visa free. Just to compare: about 2,400 visa-free tourists visited the region during the same period in 2018.

From the early 2019, Grodno has been visited by citizens of 25 countries. Most of them came from Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. A lot of tourists were from Germany.

“Most often, tourists come to get familiar with the country, see its sights. However, other types of tourism, including healthcare and recreational ones, start gaining popularity as well. For example, Belarusian spa resorts, both the ones located in the visa-free zone and others, are in big demand among Latvian tourists. The choice is determined by the high quality of services and affordable prices,” representatives of the sports and tourism department of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee said. The presentation of the Grodno District tourist potential at various exhibition venues in Latvia has largely contributed to the present results. Similar events will be held in Estonia in the near future.

On 1 January 2018, according to Decree No. 462 “On the visa-free procedure for the entry and exit of foreign citizens”, the visa-free area near Grodno was expanded to the entire Grodno District. Today, visitors may enter Grodno District visa-free through automobile, rail and air checkpoints. In 2018, over 92,000 foreigners visited Grodno visa-free.

The issue of expanding the visa-free zone is under consideration. If such a step is implemented, the region will have an opportunity to introduce new tourism products, expand the range of services, offer new directions in various types of tourism.