— The most popular tourism destination in the Vitebsk region is health and wellness tourism, — stated Vasily Zakharevich, Head of the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Regional Executive Committee. — The share of export of services rendered by sanatoriums for the 8 months since the beginning of the year amounted to 6 million 632 thousand dollars, or 56.8 percent of the total volume of tourist services in the region. The growth compared to the same period last year is almost 183 percent. Russians are the main foreign visitors. Residents of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan also show interest.
The network of sanatorium-resort and wellness organizations in the region includes 106 health resorts. They are located in ecologically clean zones, where nature itself is a healing factor. Among the advantages are a good balance between the cost of a voucher and the quality of service, a modern medical base, and qualified specialists.
The Vitebsk region is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, possessing great creative and natural potential. Therefore, 16 types of tourism are developing within its territory. Besides health and wellness tourism, the most popular are cultural and educational, festival, military-historical, educational, and sports tourism.
One of the key indicators of tourism efficiency is the export of tourist services. In 2021, it amounted to almost 9 million 275 thousand dollars. The share of export of tourist services in the total volume of services exported by the region was 5 percent, which is the highest indicator in the country.
For January–August, the export of tourist services amounted to 7 million dollars, or 204.9 percent compared to last year's level, against a target of 161.7 percent. In the total volume of services exported by the region, this is 8.3 percent, and in the volume of tourist services exported by the country, it is 10.9 percent.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by