Minister Angelkova converses with Kazuo Yana, Deputy Minister of Land Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan

The Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, held a work meeting with Kazuo Yana, Deputy Minister of Land Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan. The two conversed during the summit meeting of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in Buenos Aires.

Japan is in the top 50 generating markets for Bulgarian tourism, stated Minister Angelkova, explaining that this is due, among others, to the opening of Bulgaria’s tourism information centre in Tokyo. It was implemented by virtue of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Japan South-Eastern Europe Business Association (JSEEBA). Last year the Japanese tourists in our country were nearly 14 000, growing by 6.7 per cent. The stats for the first two months of 2018 indicate that Japanese visitors have increased by over 70%.

It is an important priority for us to transform Bulgaria into a year-round tourism destination, as well as attract tourists from remote markets, which is why we set up 8 cultural-historical destinations and are in the process of completing 12 wine-gourmet and 8 spa and medical spa destinations, stated Minister Angelkova, clarifying that our country is also working actively on the creation of the so-called Balkan Route proposed during the summit meeting of the EU member-states’ Ministers of Tourism, which was entitled Tourism and Economic Growth and was organized during Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU Council. Joint routes with countries such as Serbia, Greece, and Croatia aim to attract tourists from remote target markets, such as China, Japan, and some Latin American countries.

The minister also informed her interlocutor about our country’s investment potential due to the favourable conditions and the tax policy.

Kazuo Yana stated that the interest of Japanese tourists in Bulgaria has expanded considerably. The two agreed to sign a tourism cooperation agreement during the 2^nd edition of the International Congress on World Civilizations and Ancient Routes. The event will be held in mid-November in Sofia and is jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism and UN’s World Tourism Organization.