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the Council of Ministers' plans. The ministers have introduced amendments to the “Welcome To Belarus” state program set to run till 2020 to promote tourism, reports BelTA.
Consolidated targets for the export of tourism services were revised upwards, from $163.9mn to $208mn in 2018, from $171.8mn to $240mn in 2019 and from $180.9mn to $250mn in 2020.
Belarus' export of tourism services made up $126.1mn in January-July 2018, up 17.5% from the same period a year ago.
The Sport and Tourism Ministry and travel agencies forecast that by the end of 2018 the market of tourism services will show growth against 2016 and 2017. The forecast takes into account efforts to liberalize visa procedures, expand visa-free zones in Grodno Oblast and Brest Oblast, and intensify marketing events.
Belarus has annoyed Russia but granted visa-free access to over 80 countries, provided tourists enter the country via Minsk airport, which is in violation of the open borders policy inside the members of the Russia-lead Eurasia Economic Union (EEU), causing Russia to reimpose passport controls on Belarus.
33 BELARUS Country Report November 2018 www.intellinews.com
