A model business plan for the organization of an agro-ecotourism estate's activities has been developed in the Vitebsk region

February 23, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. A model business plan for organizing an agro-ecotourism estate has been developed by specialists of the communal scientific and consulting unitary enterprise "Vitebsk Center for Regional Studies and Development" by order of the regional executive committee, the director of the enterprise Natalya Berchenko told a BELTA correspondent. The model business plan is an economic justification of the volume of investment costs with the maximum use of benefits and preferences provided by the legislation for the development of agro-ecotourism. The business plan provides for the construction of a cottage-type house with a total area of 150 sq.m (four living rooms with eight beds), a bathhouse, outbuildings and landscaping of the adjacent territory. A promising direction for the development of an agro-ecotourism estate is to attract the maximum number of visitors by expanding the range of services - organizing active recreation (fishing, mushroom and berry picking, hiking and excursions around the neighborhood, sports games) and leisure programs (village festivals, campfire evenings, etc.). The developments can be used by initiators of similar projects, as well as by public administration bodies when searching for investors for specific projects. The total volume of capital costs for the project is about Br406 million (as of January 1, 2011). When determining the sources of financing for investment costs, measures to support agro-ecotourism were taken into account, including the program of OJSC "Belagroprombank" for preferential lending to projects for organizing agro-ecotourism facilities. The "500" program is being implemented in the Vitebsk region, the goal of which is to form a modern complex of health and tourist services based on the rational use of natural resources. One of the directions of this program is the creation of 100 new agro-ecotourism estates and agro-tourism complexes in 2011-2015. The use of a model business plan allows providing a potential investor with a complete package of practical information on the project, including the specifics of the type of business under consideration, project risk assessment, and an overview of the legislation regulating this area of activity. A potential investor can realistically assess the efficiency and prospects of creating an enterprise and adapt the proposed business model to the specific conditions of their own project. The Vitebsk Center for Regional Studies and Development was established in 2004 on the basis of the Vitebsk Department of the Research Institute of Economics of the Ministry of Economy. The main activities of the center include conducting various studies in the field of regional economics and sociology, developing forecasts, programs, and strategic development plans for administrative-territorial entities. Since 2006, the center has been the basic consulting organization for the Vitebsk region, providing services in the field of business planning.-0-