Russia recognizes tours to Belarus as part of "domestic tourism": what it means

Russia plans to recognize the organization of tours to Belarus as part of "domestic tourism." The relevant initiative has already been discussed by representatives of the two countries and will allegedly come into force in 2024.

This political decision, which the Russian side called "economic reform in the field of tourism," was reached by the head of the Ministry of Economic Development of the terrorist country, Maxim Reshetnikov, and representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Belarus at a meeting in Brest. The news was spread by propaganda media.

Russia continues to demonstrate that it does not recognize the independence of the states of the former Soviet Union. Starting in 2024, flights from Russia to Belarus will be considered "domestic tourism."

According to specialized Russian publications, the changes mean that foreign tourists who have received a visa from Russia or Belarus will be able to cross the borders of the other country without obtaining an additional entry document.

Tours to Belarus will become cheaper for Russians. Tour operators will be able to count on zero VAT (value added tax) when organizing tours to Belarus. Currently, a similar measure applies to suppliers of travel products operating in the domestic tourism sector.

In addition, it is planned to cancel mandatory contributions to the reserve fund. That is, for tour operators in the aggressor country, selling tours to the neighboring republic will no longer be equated with operating in the field of outbound tourism. Kremlin officials believe that this will somehow improve the quality of Russian tourism.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about how the airport of a popular resort introduced new rules in duty-free due to tourists from Russia. Read what we know here.

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