Bishkek (the Kyrgyz Republic) hosted a landmark event for the Eurasian tourism sector, a meeting of the heads of tourism administrations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states. Belarus was represented at the forum by Kirill Masharsky, Director of the National Tourism Agency. He put forward an initiative to create a SCO unified tourism market, the agency told BelTA.
One of the central items on the Belarusian agenda was strengthening transport connectivity. Belarus expressed its readiness to expand logistical links between Minsk and key cities of SCO countries.
“The foundation of any tourist flow is accessibility and travel comfort,” Kirill Masharsky emphasized. Plans include not only expanding the geography of flights but also further liberalizing the visa regime. Creating a barrier-free environment is seen as a catalyst capable of significantly increasing mutual tourist exchanges.
Belarus is ready to offer international partners unique conditions for developing tourism infrastructure: establishing joint tourism clusters, building hotels, recreation parks, and ethnocultural complexes, and developing facilities for family and youth tourism. The country offers transparent conditions, tax incentives, and guarantees for investors.
During the meeting, Belarus presented its tourism priorities: the golden portfolio of national tourism. SCO colleagues showed particular interest in health and wellness tourism, cultural-historical and patriotic tourism, as well as farmsteads, which have already become a hallmark of the country.
The Belarusian side proposed creating joint tourism routes. The idea is to form a SCO unified tourism market where countries do not compete but complement one another, creating cross-border products attractive to tourists from around the world.
Kirill Masharsky expressed confidence in the long-term success of this approach. “We are confident that joint projects, mutual tourist flows, and cultural exchange will make an important contribution to strengthening trust and economic growth, as well as to achieving the sustainable development goals of our entire organization,” he stressed.
The outcomes of the meeting in Bishkek confirmed that Belarus is an active and strategically important player on the SCO tourism map. The next stage, implementing the agreements reached, promises to open a new chapter in the history of Belarusian hospitality.
