Tour guides face restrictions on speech and dress

July 26, BPN. The Belarusian tourism ministry has directed that tour guides and interpreters should not allow tourists to make “inaccurate, provocative and negative statements or actions,” the National Legal Internet Portal reports.

The directive was adopted on July 4, but was not published until today.

Tour guides must “exclude any form of provocation in dress and appearance” and show respect for state symbols and spiritual traditions. They are also prohibited from making “subjective and incorrect” remarks about Belarus and other states.

On January 1, a new version of the law on tourism came into force, regulating the certification of guides and interpreters, as well as other activities.

In December 2022, the government banned people prosecuted under anti-protest laws from working as tour guides.