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Visitor numbers for Belarus’ specially protected natural areas in 2025 announced

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MINSK, 26 May (BelTA) – Andrei Kastyuk, Deputy Head of the Department of Biological and Landscape Diversity at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, shared the 2025 visitor numbers for Belarus’ specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) during a press conference at BelTA.

Around the world, specially protected natural areas hold the greatest appeal for eco-tourists. “Belarus’ SPNA system currently includes 1,356 sites: one nature reserve, four national parks, 98 national‑level sanctuaries and 277 local‑level sanctuaries, as well as 317 national‑level natural monuments and 659 local‑level natural monuments,” Andrei Kastyuk remarked. “The Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve and the national parks are prime examples of SPNAs where strict protection measures and ecotourism development go hand in hand. They have become tourism brands known far beyond Belarus’ borders. The following sanctuaries also have outstanding potential for ecotourism: Sporovsky, Vygonoshchanskoye, Olmanskie Marshes, Osveisky, Yelnya, Ozery, and Naliboksky.”

An international technical assistance project entitled “Ecotourism development to promote green transition to inclusive and sustainable growth” delivered a comprehensive set of measures to develop and promote ecotourism in pilot SPNAs. Significant support was provided for the development of sustainable infrastructure in four pilot sanctuaries: Krasny Bor, Osveisky, Ozery, and Naliboksky, with due attention paid to the needs of people with disabilities. “As a result, compared with the project’s baseline year of 2021, the number of tourists visiting the pilot sanctuaries and the revenue generated from ecotourism increased 5-7 times in 2025. Their tourism potential has grown correspondingly,” the official shared.

According to the findings of an inventory and assessment of the condition of ecological trails and routes across the country, as of 1 May 2026, there were 289 ecological trails in operation, 60 of which pass through SPNAs, and 267 ecological routes, 138 of which traverse SPNA territory.

“The number of tourists who visited SPNAs in 2025 amounted to approximately 200,000 people, which represents a 1.3‑fold increase compared to 2024. The number of foreign citizens visiting SPNAs doubled over the same period,” Andrei Kastyuk concluded. 

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