01-07-2019
On July 1, 2019 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili.
The UNWTO Secretary-General came to Minsk at the invitation of the Head of State to participate in the events of the II European Games 2019. This is the first visit of Z.Polikashvili to Belarus.
V.Makei emphasized that dynamically developing cooperation between Belarus and the UNWTO can make an important contribution to the solution of state tasks in establishing a highly efficient national tourism sector. The Minister pointed out that now the share of tourism in Belarus’ GDP is 2,2 percent, however, this figure can be significantly increased up to at least 10-12 percent. For this goal we intend to improve legislation, develop the sector of tourist services at the national and local levels, promote the image of Belarus abroad through using and taking note of the best international experience and recommendations of the UNWTO.
The UNWTO Secretary-General highlighted that the measures taken by Belarus to expand the visa-free regime for citizens of more than 70 countries became a positive factor in the development of inbound tourism in the country.
The interlocutors discussed promising areas of cooperation, including the possibility of holding major international events in Belarus under the auspices of the UNWTO.
For reference. The World Tourism Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations, a leading international organization in the field of tourism. The UNWTO brings together 158 member states and more than 500 affiliated organizations. Belarus has been a member of the UNWTO since 2005.