Vitebsk, Daugavpils and Gotland County will develop cross-border exchanges

October 19, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The administrations of Vitebsk, Daugavpils and the county of Gotland (Sweden) signed an agreement on the development of cross-border exchanges today, the Vitebsk City Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. The ceremony took place during an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the results of the trilateral project. The agreement will be a kind of continuation of the "Dvina/Daugava Panorama" project, which was implemented by Sweden, Belarus and Latvia since 2005. The cooperation of partner cities Vitebsk, Daugavpils and Gotland within the framework of this project yielded a positive result, and the parties intend to continue it. "The joint agreement on the development of mutual cross-border exchanges is mutually beneficial for the regions and their residents, and will promote cooperation in the fields of trade and business, culture and education, tourism, solving social problems, environmental protection and energy efficiency, and preserving cultural heritage," the signed agreement states. According to data based on official statistics and provided by Arne Ellefors, Chairman of the Institute of Cultural Tourism, since the project's inception, the level of tourism in Daugavpils has increased by 30%, and in Vitebsk - by 40%. Three Swedish tour operators have joined the advertising campaign of Belarus in Sweden, and one Latvian company organizes tours to the project regions. Market conditions have identified 44 Western European bus companies showing interest in Eastern Europe. According to Arne Ellefors, they are developing special offers that include the "Dvina/Daugava Panorama" region. The Swedish-Belarusian-Latvian project "Dvina/Daugava Panorama" set as its main goal the promotion of tourism development in the region united by the Western Dvina River. The "Panorama" involved the island of Gotland (Sweden), Daugavpils (Latvia), Polotsk, Vitebsk, Disna. -0-