Grodno reports surge in tourist arrivals amid visa waiver

Since the start of the year Grodno and Grodno District welcomed over 65,000 visa-free tourists, up 60% over the same period a year before, BelTA learned from the Sport and Tourism Department of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee.

“We are witnessing an increasing interest in Grodno and the district. This interest is often spurred by spectacular events taking place here. For example, more than 3,300 visa-free tourists came here over the past week; over 1,000 of them arrived on Saturday. On this day an international cycling marathon took place on the Augustow Canal. At the same time Grodno hosted one of the country’s biggest automobile festivals SunDay that always draws participants and visitors from all over Belarus and abroad,” the department said. The region’s events calendar is packed with cultural, sporting and educational events.

Visitors from more countries come to see Grodno and the surrounding area. Since the start of the year, Grodno welcomed visa-free tourists from 36 states, mostly from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Germany. The region reports an increase in travelers from other European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and Estonia. The region is actively promoting all kinds of tourism, from sightseeing to medical tourism.

Decree No. 462 on the visa-free entry and departure of foreign nationals came into force on 1 January 2018. The visa-free zone near Grodno was expanded to cover the entire Grodno District. Visa-free entry is available via road checkpoints and also checkpoints located at railway terminals and airports. In 2018 Grodno welcomed over 92,000 visa-free visitors.

BelTA