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Belarus’ Lida may be named first CIS Capital of Tourism in 2027

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MINSK, 28 July (BelTA) - The CIS may soon have a tourist capital, CIS First Deputy Secretary General Igor Petrishenko told reporters ahead of a meeting of the CIS Plenipotentiaries Council in Minsk on 28 July, BelTA has learned.

Igor Petrishenko noted that the agenda of the meeting included around eight items, the first of which was a review of the Tourism Council’s work over the past five years. “The tourism industry’s growth rates in the CIS show steady positive momentum, two to three times higher than global tourism growth rates. And the driver here is domestic tourism within CIS countries,” he added.

The first deputy secretary general emphasized that tourism is developing most actively in Belarus, Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with significant growth also expected in Kazakhstan. “It is very important to develop the tourism sector in the CIS. It is a multifaceted industry with not only a socio-humanitarian but also, to a large extent, an economic dimension. We have plans to increase tourism’s share of GDP to more than 4–5%. These are serious goals that the tourism sector within the CIS must achieve,” said Igor Petrishenko.

In his words, not only types of tourism are actively developing, but also comfortable accommodation, logistics, transport, catering, and leisure. “A corresponding draft statement by the heads of government has already been prepared, which will outline the Tourism Council’s future objectives. The statement includes guidance on how to develop domestic tourism in the CIS in terms of travel comfort and accommodation in our countries,” said Igor Petrishenko. “In addition, we already have youth, cultural, and sports capitals, but a tourist capital was missing, so this proposal has been prepared.”

According to him, Belarus has put forward Lida as the candidate to become the first CIS Capital of Tourism. “We also plan to announce thematic years for the tourism sector on an annual basis - ecological, industrial, and wellness tourism,” Igor Petrishenko added.

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