Growth of tourist traffic and new routes: Russia and Belarus discussed the expansion of air communication at the RUSSIA EXPO
The number
of trips to Russia by Belarusian tourists in 2023 doubled compared to the same
period in 2022. The Republic of Belarus is also popular among Russian tourists,
the country is among the top 10 foreign destinations.
To further
increase the number of tourist trips, it is necessary to expand transport
accessibility and develop new cross-border routes, said Deputy Minister of
Economic Development of Russia Dmitry Vakhrukov at a meeting of the Working
Group on Tourism.
"The
tourism potential of Russia and Belarus is huge and unique, and the friendly
relations between our peoples have strong historical and cultural ties. This
and many other things ensure a stable interest in mutual tourist trips,"
said Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Dmitry Vakhrukov.
He noted
that the volume of tourist traffic in 2023 has surpassed not only last year,
but also the pre-pandemic period. By now, the mutual tourist flow between
Russia and Belarus is recovering at a rapid pace. According to the Statistical
Committee of the Republic of Belarus, from January to June 2023 alone, there
were 419 thousand tourist trips from Russia, which is almost equal to the
volume for the whole year 2022. This is facilitated, among other things, by the
absence of language barriers and the possibility to make cashless payment with
the MIR card.
According
to the results of 2023, the Union Program on unification of legislation in the
field of tourism activities was successfully implemented. In particular, the
standards of activities of tour guides and guides-interpreters, standards for
the provision of hotel services, requirements for the financial responsibility
of tour operators and guarantees to tourists in the rendering of services were
harmonized. These steps should become the basis for further work on the
formation of joint tour products to attract both foreign and domestic tourists.
Dmitry
Vakhrukov noted that Russia considers it important to coordinate all
innovations in the national legislation on tourism with the Belarusian side in
the future.
One of the
key topics of the meeting was transport accessibility - expansion of the geography
of flights. The Ministry of Economic Development collected proposals from
Russian regions. 36 subjects expressed interest in establishing direct air
communication with Belarus or expanding the existing one, 13 - reported on the
expediency of expanding automobile (bus) and railroad communication.
"Last
year more than 144 thousand citizens of Belarus visited Moscow - it is more
than twice as much as in 2022. The growth of tourist flow is achieved due to
the developed infrastructure of the city, rich event agenda of the capital. It
is also worth noting the logistical accessibility of the Russian capital for
the residents of Belarus. There are more than 90 direct flights between Minsk
and Moscow per week. Furthermore, there was a launch of direct flights between
Brest and Moscow, they will be operated twice a week," said the chairman
of the Tourism Committee of Moscow, Evgeny Kozlov.
The
participants of the working group also noted the importance of creating
cross-border tourist routes, which stimulate the growth not only of the tourism
industry, but also of the entire related service sector.
The National Centre RUSSIA will host a series of presentations titled "Journey Across Russia's Gastronomic Festivals."
The National Centre RUSSIA today meets the needs of various professional communities for communication and exchange of experience.
During the tour of the expansive exposition, the Chairman of the Government highlighted the significance of the display.