At the end of November, a seminar on “Current Issues of Environmental Safety in the Union State” was held in Minsk. During the event, scientists and experts discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries in the environmental protection sphere, interaction of hydrometeorological services, as well as prospects for the development of ecotourism.
Ecotourism in Belarus is a popular product, but the country would like to increase the flow of schoolchildren and students from the Russian Federation who are interested in this type of travel.
"We see natural demand from the Russian Federation, we accept groups from Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar Krai, Rostov, Belgorod. But in recent years, there has been a slight decline in tourist flow. Of course, domestic Russian tourism is a certain competition, but the main reason is the lack of awareness of Belarusian eco-programs. I would like this product to be known in educational institutions of the Russian Federation and active teachers who want to send their class or parents with children on such a trip, understand that this is possible. The Belarusian tourist platform is accessible and safe, it is not "abroad", but de facto domestic tourism of the Russian Federation. Information support and the work of specialists in this area, political approval are very important. I would like to strengthen the existing interstate and interregional cooperation in children's and student ecotourism. Perhaps it is worth creating working groups on the formation of optimal conditions for schoolchildren and students to travel. We are ready for an open dialogue and interaction," notes the chairman of the republican union of tourism industry, Philip Guly.
He also noted that transport accessibility to Belarus has now improved, which also creates favorable conditions for sending tourist groups.
"This year, direct flights connecting Belarus with the Urals opened, and in July, direct flights will be launched from the Rostov region. Perhaps, Tatarstan will join soon. There hasn't been such a direct connection for many years, and now such an opportunity has appeared that is worth using," added Philip Guly.
According to experts, Russian-Belarusian ecotourism has great prospects, so fruitful cooperation between the two countries in developing this area is important.
"Today, the ecological part of educational tourism is integrated into the classic commercial Belarusian tourism product, which was not the case before. When visiting agro-estates and reserves, professional employees are present on excursion routes who tell about Belarusian nature in an interactive format. Such educational trips will not only give a lot of impressions, but will also allow you to take with you classical knowledge of zoology, biology, and geography," says Philip Guly.
Note that the number organized tourists and excursionists who visited Belarus in 2016, amounted to 217.4 thousand people. Most of the organized travelers arrived from the Russian Federation (78.7%).
Source: trn-news.ru
