Russian company developed virtual tours for nature reserves in Belarus

The unique nature of Belarus can now be explored online: websites of natural reserves offer interactive virtual tours, allowing users to take a digital “walk” through specially protected areas and meticulously plan their future routes.

The Russian company developed virtual tours for the “Sporovsky” and “Vygonoshchanskoye” Nature Reserves in the Brest region, as well as for the “Slavgorodskaya ‘Golubaya Krinitsa’” Landscape Reserve in the Mogilev region. It completed aerial photography using drones and landscape filming within the reserves during a short period of time (September–November 2025). The virtual tours feature audio guide commentary, detailed information about each location, links to the reserves’ locations on Yandex Maps, and the ability to share panoramic views on social media. The number of website visitors significantly increased in the first two weeks following the pilot launch of the virtual tours.

The company also modernized the reserves’ websites, improving page loading speed and enhancing the online accessibility of information about the reserves. User manuals for website content management and training sessions conducted for the reserve staff will ensure the sustainability of the results achieved under this assignment. The reserves will be able to independently manage website content and publish news about events and available leisure activities in the specially protected natural territories of Belarus.

The virtual tours and updated reserve websites showcase the ecotourism potential of the Belarusian regions and help attract tourists to these unique corners of nature.

The development of virtual tours is one of the priority areas established in 2017 under the Comprehensive Measures for the Development and Promotion of Ecotourism in Specially Protected Natural Territories of Belarus until 2025.

The work of the Russian company was implemented with the financial support of the Russian Federation within the framework of the project "Knowledge Management and Capacity Development in the UNDP-Russia Partnership".