Vakhrukov: the mutual tourist flow in the Union State in 2025 amounted to about 890,000 trips

The meeting participants agreed on common criteria: the routes must pass through the territory of both countries and have a thematic focus. A pilot project is being prepared for a road route along the M‑1 “Belarus” highway: Moscow - Moscow and Smolensk regions - Orsha - Borisov - Minsk. The working name proposed is “Between Two Capitals: the Road of the Union State.” The Belarusian side needs to prepare a route passport with sightseeing points, accommodation, and dining locations; two months are allocated for this. The expert council will review and approve the routes.

To promote joint routes, a Tourist Information Center of the Union State is being established in Smolensk. The plans include developing a unified concept for the development of the TIC for the two countries.

"The mutual tourist flow between Russia and Belarus in 2025 amounted to about 890,000 trips, which is 27% more than in 2024. About 570,300 trips were made from Russia to Belarus. It is important to maintain this demand. We have already adopted a number of regulatory initiatives." “This is both an agreement on the mutual recognition of visas from third countries and a bill that creates preferential conditions for tour operators working in the Belarusian market,” Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, commented.

During the event, a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of tourism was signed, along with a Roadmap for the development of cooperation in the tourism sector for 2027–2028 and a regulatory framework for the creation of tourist routes of the Union State.