Press releases

MINSK, 6 April (BelTA) – Plans have been made to offer visa-free entry to tourists visiting the Augustow Canal, Belarusian Sports and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko told journalists at the international spring fair of tourism services Leisure 2016 on 6 April, BelTA has learned.

“To attract tourists from the European Union, we have already introduced visa-free entry for a period of up to three days for visitors to the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. We also have plans to grant visa-free entry to Augustow Canal visitors,” Alexander Shamko said. The relevant proposal is currently under consideration in the government.

The Sports and Tourism Minister believes that the tourism product that the Augustow Canal offers today meets the requirements for similar destinations around the world. “We have good potential. All we need is to improve some organizational aspects. Most of the necessary infrastructure has already been built, from cycle touring to hiking and canoeing,” Alexander Shamko said. He pointed out that the granting of visa-free entry to tourists visiting the Augustow Canal would bring economic benefit. “Introduction of visa-free entry to the Augustow Canal aligns with the tasks that the tourism industry has to address today. Relaxation of visa requirements will certainly increase tourist flows,” the Sports and Tourism Minister stressed.

Minsk is hosting the international fair of tourism services Leisure 2016 from 6 till 9 April. Partaking in the forum are more than 150 exhibitors from Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, and Cuba. The fair is themed around tours (seasonal tours, children’s tours, cruises), guided tours, transport services, tourism insurance, sanatoria, resorts, and hospitality business. Around 30 events will be held as part of the fair.