Today the tourism industry is actively developing, involving millions of people from around the world. In order to make this complex functioning more effective, we need high qualified specialists. One of the leading positions belongs to Belarusian State University with its unit - the Department of International Tourism.

The Department was founded on October 5, 1998 as a part of Faculty of International Relations. Today about 300 students, graduates and postgraduates are enrolled in the department activities. Foreign students (from China, Vietnam, Mozambique, the CIS countries, etc.) together with Belarusian students acquire theoretical and practical knowledge and skills. 2 Doctoral, 3 PhD, as well as Master's theses were defended at the Department. The head of the department is Doctor Science (History), Associate Professor Leonid Gaidukevich.

The Department offers more than 40 specialized courses for the students. Apart from traditional lectures and seminars, excursions, master classes, and course projects are also included in the curriculum. Such forms of activities allow students to broaden their horizons, and get better knowledge of the development of tourism in the country. The students have an opportunity to acquire experience and professional knowledge during internships in the leading travel companies of the country: Top-Tour, Alatan-Tour, Sakub, SMOK-Travel, Tusson Voyage; in the Ministry of Sports and Tourism and the National Tourism Agency.

We have extensive international links with universities in Russia, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Slovakia and the USA. We are engaged in collaboration with the UN Library Fund, UNESCO, Head Office of UNWTO in Madrid, Global Fund, etc. The staff of the Department, senior students and graduate students undergo trainings in Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland. The staff of the Department actively engaged in the scientific work of the school " Current Issues of Tourism Development in the State's Regions".

The Department actively participated in development of the National Tourism Development Programs for 2001—2005, 2006—2010 and 2010—2015 years.

Many students, graduates and postgraduates do research, and became laureates of national scientific contests and grants, nominees of the President's Scholarship, National Bank Scholarship and F. Skorina Scholarship. The students acquire modern economic education together with language skills. The students who complete the course of study at our Department are awarded the qualification of "Economist-manager and Interpreter/Translator". Career opportunities for alumni range from jobs in tourism organizations, travel agencies, and banks to jobs in foreign economic agencies. The Department of International Tourism today is a highly qualified and fast developing subdivision of Faculty of International Relations.