Minister Angelkova: Digitalization is a major priority in tourism, we are making a long-term concept for its development

EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel with a video address for the roundtable of the Ministry of Tourism- an event in Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU Council

70% of smartphone-using tourists make surveys for their journeys through their phones, international research suggests. Each second journey begins from a mobile device. Thus said the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, at the opening of the international roundtable entitled Digital Transformation in Tourism. The event was held within the framework of the Vacation & Spa Expo international tourism exchange, which is part of the Ministry’s initiatives in the calendar of Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU Council. The roundtable was attended by Renata Pindjo, Deputy Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Republic of Serbia. Maria Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, also participated via a video address.

According to international analyses, internet users have increased globally by 7% last year, while people actively using social networks, have increased by 13 per cent in 2017 г. A 14% growth is also registered in the users of social networks via mobile devices, said Minister Angelkova.

We are using the international roundtable as a platform for dialog among government institutions, NGO’s, and businesses. Tourism needs a long-term, sustainable digitalization concept, we are developing it, stated Minister Angelkova.

Two major topics will be discussed during the roundtable. The first looks at New Economic Models and Digital Culture – Factors for the Future Development of Tourism“. It will discuss how digitalization and the emergence of new business models are affecting the tourism industry, announced Minister Angelkova. The second discussion will focus on Digitalization and New Opportunities to Preserve Cultural Heritage. Participants will discuss how innovative management may be used to stimulate the tourism sector’s development, explained the Minister.

In her video address, EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel thanked Minister Angelkova for the active works and for transforming Bulgaria into a preferred tourism destination. She also added that online visits of tourists in Europe are leading ones and that European tourism goes hand in hand with digitalization.