Tourism

Belarusian travel agencies are facing problems with money orders for their partners in Russian banks abroad.

The routes from Minsk to international airports in Vilnius and Kaunas are carried out twice a day on brand new Mercedes vans.

Belarusians are scared of using Kiev airports and prefer Sicily and Spain to Turkey.

Just one travel firm alone says 30 clients of 100 have cancelled their holidays in Crimea, while landlords insist 'there are no green creatures here.'

Belarus' National Statistics Committee reports a 15.2% increase in the number of 'organized visitors' to Belarus against 2012.

Minsk is No 2 most popular destination in the CIS for Russian tourists after Kiev, Ukraine. Odessa is in the third position.

Euroradio collected some touristic slips.

$132 million made on tourism in 7 months

Russians come for casinos and resorts; Italians and Turks are attracted by Belarusian women; Westerners regard Belarus as a transit stop-over.