The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has expressed its full support to a decision by the Government of Belarus to launch the 5-day visa-free policy that will be applicable to travellers from 80 countries. The measure aims to advance seamless travel and attracting visitors, particularly those on business trips.
The Government of Belarus has recently decided to advance visa facilitation as a means to stimulate tourism development. The decision introduces visa-free entry at the Minsk National Airport and visa-free stay in Belarus for up to five days for the citizens of 80 states. Among those, there are 39 countries of Europe, including the entire European Union, Brazil, Indonesia, the USA and Japan.
“Visa facilitation is among the most effective strategies to induce tourism development in a region or in a country, so we are sure that the tourism sector will experience a positive shift in Belarus,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
The promotion of seamless travel is one of UNWTO’s priorities, considering the proven capacity of visa facilitation to stimulate economic growth and job creation through tourism.
Belarus started policies to simplify the visa process in April 2016.
A valid passport or other document permitting foreign travel, money (equivalent to at least two base amounts for each day of stay in the foreign currency or Belarusian rubles), and medical insurance for the amount of at least €10,000 operational in Belarus will be needed for the visa-free entry.
The citizens of Vietnam, Haiti, Gambia, Honduras, India, China, Lebanon, Namibia, Samoa should also have a valid multi-visa to the EU states or the Schengen Area with a mark confirming the entry to their territory, plane tickets with a confirmation of the departure from the Minsk National Airport within 5 days after the date of the entry.
The visa-free regime does not apply to people arriving in Belarus by plane from Russia and planning to go to the airports of Russia (these are internal flights with no border control).
Header image caption: Artists wearing Belarusian national dresses hold traditional bread-and-salt as they meet participants of a cultural festival of various ethnicities living in Belarus, in the town of Grodno, Belarus. Representatives of more than one hundred nationalities live in Belarus.(AP Photo/Sergey Grits). Source: www/boston.com
