Belarus' export of travel services plummets by about 60% due to coronavirus

Belarus' export of travel services plummeted by about 60% due to the coronavirus pandemic, Irina Voronovich, Director of the Tourism Department at the Sport and Tourism Ministry, told a press conference in Minsk on 3 November, BelTA has learned.

"January-February of this year were record high in terms of export of travel services. We had very good figures. Today, approximate export (still being counted) is 40% of what we had in 2019," Irina Voronovich said.

According to her, there is still uncertainty surrounding travel abroad. This has a lot to do with quarantine restrictions. The situation is very shaky, unstable and unclear. For example, holidaymakers go to Montenegro to learn they need to self-isolate on their return. Of course, we recommend that our citizens holiday at home," Irina Voronovich noted.

Belarus has developed a plan of priority measures to support domestic and inbound tourism, Irina Voronovich informed. According to her, business will have to partially refocus on domestic tourism. "This year domestic tourism did well, reporting higher earnings than last year," she added.