Hotel occupancy rate in Minsk during the New Year and Christmas holidays will be around 70%, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of the Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry Vitaly Gritsevich said at a press conference in BelTA's press center.

“According to preliminary estimates, hotel occupancy rate in Minsk will hover at around 70%. Some hotels, especially those popular among tourists (for example, three-star hotels), will operate at full capacity,” Vitaly Gritsevich noted.

Brest Oblast and Grodno Oblast also expect high hotel occupancy rates due to the visa-free travel program. Some hotels in Brest and Grodno have been almost sold-out. “The visa-free travel program gave an impetus to the travel industry. Construction of new hotels is underway, but still there are not enough hotels, especially during holiday seasons. The situation may improve by the summer holiday season of 2020,” Vitaly Gritsevich said.

Since 10 November 2019, tourists can visit the united visa-free zone of Brest Oblast and Grodno Oblast. Over 15,000 people from 36 countries have already visited these regions since then. Top inbound markets included Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Germany.