It is desirable to reduce visa cost for foreigners in order to develop tourism in Belarus. This was announced by the Assistant to the President of Belarus on matters of physical culture, sport and tourism Igor Zaichko on November 15. "If we want to develop inbound tourism, it is necessary for the country to welcome both well-off tourists and middle-class travelers," he said.
According to Igor Zaichkov, there are many obstacles for the development of tourism in Belarus, primarily the high cost of visas for foreigners, especially at airports. Currently, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism is drafting a decree on the development of tourism, which includes several options: the abolition of visas, the abolition of consular fees and reduction of visa cost, BelTA informs.
«At the same time, we do not want to get into a situation, in which Belarus will abolish visas, for example, for EU citizens but EU will not do it,» Igor Zaichko said .
In this regard, according to Assistant to the President, we must find a middle ground, taking into account the interests of both the state and the tourists themselves, since foreigners take great interest in Belarus. Many of them, having visited various exotic countries, want something new. Belarus can become a pleasant discovery for them, all the more that the country is actively reconstructing objects of tourism, developing agroecotourism, Igor Zaichko said.
