Beyond the competition: Belarus has become the main foreign destination for Russian New Year holidays.
The republic is undoubtedly the leader among the neighboring countries in popularity among Russian tourists, Aleksan Makratchian, vice president of the Alliance of Russian Travel Agencies, told TASS.
"Number one, without competitors, is Belarus. Abkhazia comes with a huge, huge advantage. Then Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan follow him with a small margin from Abkhazia," the expert said.
Russians are attracted to Belarusian castles, national cuisine, accessible roads and proximity to Moscow. According to the expert, interest in traveling to Belarus has been increasing for about ten years, especially in recent years actively.