2 years of visa-free regime: summarizing and making plans
Since the end of October 2016, visa-free regime for travelers has been introduced on the territory of Grodno and the Augustow Canal Park, which gave foreign guests the opportunity to visit the city and its environs without a visa.
The last two years have shown that Grodno is attractive and interesting for travelers. This is confirmed by numbers: today, more than 132 thousand foreign tourists have already visited the region. Many come back here with friends and relatives, each time discovering something new for themselves.
Tourist flow does not stop growing. If for the years 2016-2017 about 55 thousand visa-free tourists visited the region, then on November 24, 2018 Grodno met 80,000 foreign tourists. Most of the guests arrived in Grodno through checkpoints "Privalka" and "Bruzgi". About 2 thousand guests used the railway checkpoint "Grodno", more than a thousand crossed the border through the Augustow Canal by canoe or yacht, by bicycle or on foot.
Since the beginning of 2018, Grodno Airport has become available for visa-free tourists, negotiations are underway with low-cost companies on the organization of international flights. The infrastructure of the city is changing and adapts to the requests of guests. In the visa-free zone there are 12 hotels and 3 hostels, over a dozen new cafes and restaurants, most of which have been opened in recent years.
The development of the city and the region does not stop there. At the end of 2018 - the beginning of 2019, it is planned to open several new hotels, hostels and restaurants. For implementation of projects in the sphere of services, entertainment and catering, the administration of the FEZ “Grodnoinvest” offers investment platforms, tax and customs privileges and preferences, organizational and advisory support.
All the details can be obtained in the department of foreign economic activity by phone +375 (152) 41-23-17 or e-mail: invest@grodnoinvest.by.