Belarus’ tourism industry switches to domestic travel amid pandemic

 NOVOGRUDOK, 13 August (BelTA) - Those travel operators who were able to quickly switch from outbound to inbound tourism have kept their market positions and keep growing, Belarusian Sport and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk told the media, BelTA has learned.

The minister noted that Belarus has always been popular with visitors, including foreign ones. The borders that still stay closed due to the pandemic are stimulating the development of domestic tourism.

“Let’s take Novogrudok for example. A small town that has put a system in place. In the past, the Adam Mickiewicz house-museum hosted 30,000-34,000 tourists a year, most of whom were foreign visitors. Now thanks to a greater focus on domestic tourism, the tourist flow has actually been restored there and is already reaching the figures of 20,000-24,000 of Belarusian tourists a year," Sergei Kovalchuk said.