The results of the National contest “The Best Farmstead of the Year”
The results of the Republican contest “The Best Farmstead of the Year” have been summed up Within the 6th International specialized scientific and practical conference “Rural tourism 2016: green economy and creativity” which took place on December 21, 2016 in Minsk, the results of the annual contest of Belarusian farmsteads were summed up.
The results of activity for the expired calendar year of more than 50 subjects of rural tourism were estimated. In total the final was reached by 20 participants, and the farmstead “Veres” (Grodno Region, Zelvensky district, Kozlovichi) became the owner of Grand Prix of the competition following the results of jury voting.
Farmstead “Veres” (Grodno Region, Zelvensky district, Kozlovichi).
The owners of the farmstead “Veres” received the Grand Prix of the contest “The Best Farmstead 2015”. In the photo from left to the right: the Executive Director of JSC Belagroprombank, Valery Arkhipchuk, the owner of the farmstead “Veres” Irina Makey, the director of the tourism department of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism Elena Perminova, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Belarusian association “Country Escape” Valeria Klitsounova.
“The victory in the contest is a result of 25 years' work of all our family”,- the farmstead owner Michael Makey said. “Our farmstead has been operating for more than 10 years; we were one of the first in the sphere of rural tourism. The idea of farmstead creation was cherished for a long time, and then there was a Decree of the President within which we received the preferential loan at JSC Belagroprombank for the development of our farmstead. We have many guests during the year”,- continues the owner of the Grand Prix of the contest “The Best Farmstead of the Year”, – and both Belarusians and foreign tourists come. The farmstead was created for people who prefer family vacation. Here it is possible to get advice concerning care of pets and participate in farming seminars. Children can learn cooking, join work on a farmstead’s land plot.”
It is known that JSC Belagroprombank has been participating in the program of development of rural tourism in Republic of Belarus for 10 years and has been the co-organizer of the international conference of rural tourism since 2008.
The Executive Director of JSC Belagroprombank Valery Arkhipchuk
When opening plenary session of the conference the Executive Director of JSC Belagroprombank Valery Arkhipchuk in his welcome speech emphasized,
“Belagroprombank traditionally acts as the organizer of the rural tourism conference. We are glad that annually the forum becomes the platform for discussion of world tendencies in the sphere of rural tourism, problems and conditions of its development. JSC Belagroprombank’s activity has always been directed to underlining of our national roots, authenticity and as a result support of the projects implemented in the rural zone. We have something to be proud – we support layer of the Belarusian economy which is aimed at attraction to the country of guests from the FSU and beyond and acquaints them with national identity of Belarus. Undoubtedly the Decree “On the measures to develop rural tourism in the Republic of Belarus” signed in 2006 by the President of Republic of Belarus became the serious driver of the work, then our bank entered an active phase of work on a financial support of farmsteads, and also the methodological and informational help to subjects of rural tourism.”
During the program implementation, since 2007 JSC Belagroprombank has financed 575 farmsteads and has provided loans in the amount of 5, 88 million denominated rubles. These farmsteads show the best performance results today and have created the optimum conditions development of, first of all, outbound tourism.
“Further the bank intends to continue to render assistance for rural tourism development and organize interaction between the specialized organizations, potential investors and entrepreneurs for the purpose of creation of the business environment oriented to a wide range of projects in the sphere of rural tourism”, the Executive Director of JSC Belagroprombank Valery Arkhipchuk summed up.
Especially it should be noted that for the moment the innovative concept of activity in the sphere of rural tourism is developed in JSC Belagroprombank. Today the financial institution is ready for absolutely new format of entrepreneurial initiative development.
The director of the Department of corporate business of JSC Belagroprombank, Yulia Yasinskaya, presented to conferees the new concept of the bank’s activity in the sphere of rural tourism.
“We would like to create Agrobusiness Club in which the bank will act as the integrator of initiatives, competences, practices and give rise to the ecosystem based on the close interrelations between potential investors and entrepreneurs, – the director of the Department of corporate business of JSC Belagroprombank Yulia Yasinskaya said. – Today we have subjects of rural tourism financed by our bank and interested in the productive dialogue and cooperation, the operating startups schools, incubators, funds of entrepreneurs’ support. Today the state represented by the Ministry of Sport and tourism and private investors are ready for rural tourism support. There is an opportunity to attract the experts who will give advice in the sphere of rural tourism.”
Вниманию участников конференции Белагропромбанком был представлен новый формат развития агроэкотуризма – Агробизнес-Клуб, который станет площадкой диалога и тесного сотрудничества потенциальных инвесторов и предпринимателей.
- Мы планируем позиционировать себя не только как банк, который финансирует проекты агроэкотуризма, – продолжает Юлия Ясинская, – но и как площадку для партнеров, на базе которой можно было бы дальше развивать данный сегмент и повышать его конкурентоспособность.
The bank intends to organize cooperation of interests and opportunities of club participants and develop them in the direction of opportunities expansion for the organization and business, training, consultation, allowing access to financial resources, services in business promotion and its information support. The bank is confident that all of it will boost an industry of rural tourism considerably and gain good financial effect.
In general the conference programme was varied and interesting. The thematic sections “Rural tourism and Green Economy”, “Bicycle Routes of Belarus”, “Creative economy: innovations in tourism”, “Rural tourism and youth”, as well as discussions in which all guests could participate, took place after the experts’ speeches about current trends and innovative approaches in the sphere of rural tourism.
The solemn rewarding of contest participants and winners “The Best Farmstead 2015” as well as summing up of thematic sections took place in conclusion.
The winners in 8 nominations of the contest are named:
“Start-up of the year” (farmstead “Olkhovo”, Grodno Region, Volkovyssky district, Olkhovo village),
“Ethno Complex” (farmstead “Tri kolodza” (“Three Wells”), Brest Region, Kamenetsky district, Baranki village),
“The Belarusian national cuisine” (farmstead “Valeria”, Brest Region, Kamenetsky district, Koshchenki village),
“Farmstead of the Year” (farmstead “Seraya Sheika” (“Grey Neck”), Mogilev Region, Polynkovich agro-town),
“Style and harmony” (farmstead “Vyasyolaya hata”, Minsk Region, Kopylsky district, Kalyuga village),
“Revival of national traditions” (farmstead “U Borisovicha", Vitebsk Region, Braslavsky district, Ustie village),
“Sport and tourism” (farmstead “Hutor Komarishki”, Grodno Region, Ostrovetsky district, B. Stracha village),
“Promotion of Bank Innovations in Rural Tourism” (farmstead “Zapovednyi ostrov”, Vitebsk Region, Gluboksky district, Sho village).
The forum took place in conference rooms of the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee, JSC Belagroprombank has been the general sponsor within several years.
Background information.
JSC Belagroprombank, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Republic of Belarus, Belarusian association “Country Escape”, NGO Minsk Cycling Community, Project “Assistance to Transition of the Republic of Belarus to a “green” economy” financed by the EU and realizable by UNDP, Faculty of the international relations of Belarusian State University, Program of small grants of the USA Embassy in Republic of Belarus are the sponsors of conference this year.
In total 2263 farmsteads are registered in Belarus, of which more than 1500 farmsteads work actively. In 2015 about 295 thousand tourists used services of farmsteads. In 2016 Belarus won the nomination “Rural tourism” rated by the National Geographic Traveler Awards.
