Press releases

GRODNO, 27 December (BelTA) – The first tourism information center to offer information about visa-free travels to Grodno will be opened in Lithuania in January, BelTA learned from Oleg Andreichik, Head of the Sport and Tourism Office of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee.

The center will offer information about ways of visiting Grodno Oblast with a focus on recreation in the visa-free zone. The tourism information center will be set up together with Lithuanian partners in the city of Birstonas. Cooperation with Birstonas has existed for a long time for the sake of implementing tourism industry projects. Sections offering information about Grodno Oblast will be opened later on in similar tourism information centers in Marijampole, Alytus, and Lazdijai. Premises for presenting the potential of visa-free Grodno and the surrounding territories are already available in these Lithuanian cities.

“The tourism information centers will be established in Lithuania as kind of an information exchange program. In turn, part of the tourism information center in Grodno will be dedicated to the tourism potential of Lithuania. The same practice is used in cooperation with Polish colleagues. A center to offer information about Grodno Oblast tourism opportunities was opened in Bialystok earlier while an exposition about Podlaskie Voivodeship was opened in Grodno,” said Oleg Andreichik. “Tourism information centers are established with a view to providing quality information about opportunities in our region, the local tourism products and events to potential foreign tourists. Over 300 events of potential interest for foreign tourists are scheduled to take place in Grodno Oblast in 2017.”

The information centers will also tell people how they can enter and leave the Augustow Canal Park in addition to offering other kinds of important information.

Belarus president decree No. 318 came into force on 26 October 2016 to allow foreign tourists to visit the tourism and recreation park Augustow Canal Park without visas for five days. Apart from the park the visa-free travel rules also apply to Grodno and adjacent populated localities in Grodno District.