Russian tourists occupied 81% of Minsk hotels on New Year's Eve

Minsk hotels, thanks to tourists from Russia on New Year holidays, were loaded by 81%. The information was published by the "Minsk-Novosti" agency with reference to the head of the main department of sports and tourism of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Maksim Varapai.  According to him, last year Russians made up 82% of the total number of visitors to the Belarusian capital. Most of them were people between 28 and 52 years old (71%) with average income (67%). In 58% of cases they were women.  

Mr Varapai also said that 55 hotels with more than 60 thousand rooms are now operating in Minsk "to provide quality services to tourists". There are different offers - from budget to business class. And hotel occupancy, according to the official, has been growing in recent years - "in January-November 2023, it amounted to 52.9%, including  57.3% for municipal hotels," he said.

Belarusian officials also expect guests from China. In particular, on February 16, the first flight from China with tourists will arrive in Minsk. Belarusian officials are aware that to receive such tourists "a lot of work needs to be done". "We need guides with good knowledge of the Chinese language, comfortable conditions for accommodation and movement," said the Minister of Sport and Tourism Siarhey Kavalchuk.

The National Agency for Tourism had previously complained about the lack of tour guides in Belarus. But this did not prevent the authorities from banning the Belarusians, who were tried under the "protest articles", from working as tour guides and guides-translators.