The deputies are preparing amendments to the law on Tourism for the second reading. We will tell you what the main provisions are.

Audioguide will appear officially

It’s planned to delimit and clearly explain the concepts of guide, guide-translator and audio guide. The fact is that the current law does not provide the possibility for audio accompaniment of excursions. But it will appear.

After the introduction of the changes, it will be possible to conduct excursions with or without the help of audio guides. And the excursions can also be combined — some will be told by an audio guide, some by a human guide.

In theory, the audio guide can even replace the human guide, but the tour group must still have an accompanying person. Important: the text of the audio guide must be approved by the regulator.

Electronic travel contracts will be introduced

The law will secure the ability to conclude a travel agreement in electronic form. It will act like this: the customer downloads a complete package of documents on the Internet, signs them, confirms the signatures with his keys – such an agreement will be considered valid. This innovation is especially relevant in a pandemic. It will also be convenient for foreigners who want to take care of the cultural program in Belarus in advance.

History exam for guides

Being a guide is a big responsibility. To make the excursions as useful and as high-quality as possible, the guides will be obliged to pass certification and confirm their knowledge. They will need to pass an exam on the history of Belarus and the places where they are going to work. Moreover, not only Belarusians can pass the certification, but also visitors, if they want to talk about the events that took place on the territory of our country. According to the authorities, this approach will avoid distortion of history and misrepresentation of facts.