Belarus encouraged to study ecotourists' preferences

To develop rural and ecotourism in Belarus, we should study the preferences of our guests and provide state support to promising country estate owners, Olga Makhanenko, the chairperson of the public council on the development of rural and ecotourism in Vitebsk Oblast, the owner of the Priozernaya country estate in Lepel District, told BelTA.

"Now is not the right time to increase the number of country estates and the volume of tourism services. It is important to focus on the quality, improve the infrastructure in order to be ready at any moment to welcome guests with the most diverse and demanding requirements. Too much attention is paid to statistics, implementation of plans. Instead, it is necessary to provide support to those who really work and contribute to the positive image of the region and the county in general. We need to study the circumstances, trends and demands. I know that foreigners want to visit Belarus, but sometimes the very owners of country estates do not have enough faith in this," Olga Makhanenko explained.

In her words, the summer tourist season of 2015 for Vitebsk Oblast country estates was less successful than the season of 2014. However, its results were not that bad in comparison with other economic entities of the Belarusian tourism industry. "We welcomed fewer Russians because of the economic situation in their country. Besides, Russia is actively developing its domestic tourism sector. I would like to note that the number of tourists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland is growing," Olga Makhanenko said. She noted that the 2015 tourist season will last till mid-October, and only then it will be reasonable to discuss its results.

At present, there are over 500 country estates registered in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus. The estates annually host 30,000 guests from different countries.

BELARUSIAN NEWS