Back in April, speaking to parliament, President Alexander Lukashenko said: "We need a system in which the money of both Belarusian citizens and foreign guests would be invested in our economy... Therefore, we should introduce as a mandatory condition for the registration of tour firms their engagement not only in outbound but also inbound tourism." Director General of the Belarusian National Tourism Agency Cheslav Shulga now says that the new rules will have a beneficial effect on business development. "This will boost the development of domestic and inbound tourism. Every firm should offer and promote tourist routes around Belarus for foreigners and Belarusians," Shulga said.
However, a representative of one of the Belarusian tour firms spoke about the difficulties on this path: "The problem is that Belarus is considered an unfavorable country for tourism and is not included in international catalogs. To ensure an influx of tourists, we need to change the viewpoint of foreign companies." According to the interlocutor, a positive factor is the country's recent entry into the World Tourism Organization. But he reminded that when choosing a route, tourists care about what newspapers write about the country. And Belarus's reputation in the West, as is well known, leaves much to be desired.
Another problem, according to the anonymous interlocutor, is that firms that previously did not offer tours around Belarus are not interested in developing them: "Starting a new direction is expensive and difficult. No conditions have been created for this - no tax breaks, nothing."
Experts list other problems as well. The country has one four-star and fewer than a dozen three-star hotels. Many sights are in a sorry state. But even those that have been restored are not surrounded by tourist infrastructure, including cafes, toilets, and souvenir shops.
"I agree that the infrastructure is in a sorry state. It cannot be said that we can satisfy any whim. But according to the World Tourism Organization, there are five million people in the world who like to live in tents. We can also offer rural, ecological tourism, homestays, tours for schoolchildren, accommodation in youth hostels. We will look for people who are satisfied with this service," Cheslav Shulga is confident of success. At the same time, prices in Belarus are high. For example, a room in the four-star hotel "Minsk" in the capital costs $135 per day. Shulga believes that the situation will change after new hotels appear in Belarus, and he promised that by the end of the year the country will also have a five-star hotel.
To visit Belarus, foreigners must not only obtain a visa but also register if they come for more than three days. The registration fee in total is less than $7. However, as a tourism business expert reminded, "most tourists do not like formalities and prefer to visit countries where they are minimal - Belarus is not one of them."
Another serious question: what to show tourists? According to Cheslav Shulga, a promising direction is "nostalgic tourism": "Three and a half million people from Belarus live abroad. Their past is connected with our country, and they can come here to show their children and grandchildren where they were born. We need to work with this category." The tourism agency expects that hunting and fishing will also be attractive to foreigners. "For Westerners, three birch trees are a grove; they don't have forests like ours, and they are ready to pay any money and hunt at our forestry bases," adds Cheslav Shulga.
The National Tourism Agency believes that Belarus can be visited for one or two days by tourists traveling through neighboring countries. It is also possible to more actively offer services to businessmen visiting the country on business and transit tourists. A representative of the tourism business, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Belarus really has something to show. But for that, you need to work hard. You won't achieve quick success. You need to invite tour operators, journalists, demonstrate solid, stable services. For that, you need to plow and plow for years. Nothing can be done quickly, just as you cannot lose 10 kg on a two-day diet."