Head of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation Oleg Safonov sees Bulgaria as a good tourist destination for Russians

Russia remains one the important markets for Bulgaria and the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria will continue with efforts to stimulate the incoming tourist flow. This became clear during the meeting of Minister Angelkova with the head of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation Oleg Safonov in Moscow on 9 December 2015. The two officials met in the Russian capital to discuss possibilities for strengthening bilateral cooperation in tourism.

“We are highly motivated to offer the best conditions for our tourists. We continue to probe all possibilities for facilitating visa issuing procedures for citizens of the Russian Federation as well as for opening outsourced visa centers”, said the Bulgarian Minister during the meeting. She also noted that visas are being currently issued at 21 such outsourced centers. Mr. Safonov stressed that he would be glad if more Russians chose Bulgaria for their vacation as the country offers plenty of opportunities for tourism and is a traditional vocational spot for Russians.

Both Mr. Safonov and Minister Angelkova agreed that the Bulgarian-Russian round table discussion held in November in Sofia has proved to be quite fruitful. It has also proved that the tourist industries of the two countries are willing to cooperate and spur tourist flow. The head of the Federal Agency of Tourism also stated that a follow-up round-table in Moscow will be scheduled for February of next year. “The Bulgarian tourist business is fully prepared to participate in such an event”, stressed Minister Angelkova. A b2b forum will also be organized during the international travel exhibit in Moscow in March which will be a yet another possibility for strengthening the business partnerships between the two countries.

At the end of January Bulgaria is expected to host a sitting of the intergovernmental commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation which will be attended by Mr. Safonov. It has been agreed that one of the sessions of the Commission will be dedicated to discussing cooperation in tourism and to boosting the tourist flow. 

During her Moscow visit the Bulgarian minister met with Vladimir Chernekov, the Head of Department of National Policy and inter-regional relations and tourism of Moscow as well as with his first deputy Sergey Shpilko who is also chairman of the Moscow Committee for Tourism and Hotel Industry. She also held meetings with representative of the Association of Tour Operators in Russia (ATOR).  A number of issues have been discussed and concrete measures for furthering bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector have been outlined.