The joint Belarusian-Latvian programme titled as Bella Dvina - Crossing the Border, Discovering the Culture, Enjoying the Nature of the Western Dvina/Daugava River Space starts in Polotsk on November 19, BelTA learnt from Igor Zagrekov, the chief specialist of the sport and tourism department of the Polotsk town council. On that day Polotsk will host an international conference “Development of tourism in the Bella Dvina region: national and cross-border aspects.” At the conference the organisers will present the joint Belarusian-Latvian project that includes the development of the common cross-border strategy of tourism development, regional marketing and promotion of tourism industry, strengthening of the tourist capabilities and also cross-border cooperation between Belarus and Latvia. Attending the conference will be representatives of the local authorities of Belarus and Latvia, diplomatic missions of the two countries, tourism experts from Belarus, Germany, France and Sweden. The main aim of the project Bella Dvina – Travelling through Borders is to create the cross-border tourism space along Western Dvina-Daugava between Daugavpils, Polotsk and Vitebsk. Participating regions are also the Verkhnedvinsk, Rossony, Beshenkovichi, Miory, Sharkovshchina and Vitebsk regions. Igor Zagrekov said that the programme is designed to run for two years. The Polotsk information and tourism centre and seven tourist information zones in the Polotsk, Braslav and Vitebsk tourist zones and on the Latvian-Belarusian border will be created at the first stage. The next stage will be the development of joint tourist routes which will be marketed under the common brand “Bella Dvina Region”. The project is co-financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme IIIA Priority South. The funds will be used to finance the development of the tourism industry in the neighbouring regions of Belarus and Latvia, to create up-to-date infrastructure and to purchase the equipment.

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