New tourism regulator in Belarus: how booking and control rules will change

What changed in the legislation?

On September 24 the main package of amendments to the tourism law came into force. Law No. 156‑Z, signed in June, officially gave the National Tourism Agency (NTA) the power to issue normative acts that are binding for everyone in the industry. Starting January 1, 2026 the agency will answer to the Council of Ministers, which means it can run a single policy, coordinate actions of both republican and regional bodies, attract investment and promote national routes.

New definitions and monitoring

The law now includes the official terms “national tourist route”, “regional tourist route”, “tourism industry” and “special monitoring of domestic and inbound tourism”. That makes it easier to pin down which projects qualify for state support and to collect statistics on tourist flows, their purposes and spending.

Mandatory decisions of the Inter‑agency council

Decisions of the Council on construction of tourist facilities are now binding for all state bodies and companies. According to NTA representatives, this should speed up project approvals and tie them to road and engineering infrastructure.

How will the rules for tour operators change?

For companies that sell excursions a few practical tweaks have been introduced:

• A one‑off excursion can be sold without a written contract; a receipt and a cheque are enough. When payment goes through ERIP you just note the transaction number.
• The receipt format has been approved by the NTA, so every operator will use the same template.
• If the tourist isn’t registered as an individual entrepreneur, the operator must answer a complaint within 7 days (or 14 days if verification is needed). For legal entities and entrepreneurs the response deadline is 30 days.
• Contributions to the tour‑operator liability fund are no longer refundable when a company leaves the association or shuts down, except for the rare cases listed in the law.

Registry of tourism activity entities

Since September 24 the NTA maintains a registry of all tourism‑activity entities. Applications to be entered are submitted through a single portal, which simplifies registration and oversight.

State information system “Tourism"

The launch of a system that will gather data on companies, their services and prices is planned for January 1, 2027. Through it, part of the administrative procedures will be possible online. NTA director Kirill Masharskiy has already said the system will let citizens book tours themselves: just log into the portal, pick a route and confirm the trip.

What does this mean for travelers?

Tourists will get a few new perks:

• Price transparency – cost information will be publicly visible.
• Simplified booking – no need to visit offices or fill out paper forms.
• Faster complaint handling – fixed response times raise service level.

How to prepare for the changes?

If you’re planning a trip to Belarus soon, keep an eye on these points:

1. Check the operator’s status – make sure the company is listed in the NTA registry.
2. Keep receipts and cheques – they now serve as official proof of purchase.
3. Follow news about the “Tourism” system – by 2027 the portal should be live and many procedures will be doable online.

Outlook for the sector

With the NTA’s new powers, investment in tourism infrastructure is expected to rise, route planning should become clearer and construction of facilities faster. Coordination with road and engineering networks ought to cut delays and lift service quality.

Bottom line

The tourism‑law amendments create a centralized regulatory system, introduce mandatory standards and ready the country for digital tourist services. For travelers that promises a smoother planning process, and for businesses it means clear rules of the game and a chance to draw fresh investment.

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.