Minister Angelkova presents destinationBulgaria at the Berlin economic forum

As a representative of the country now chairing the EU Council, I’d like to emphasize that we live in challenging times for Europe and the entire world, which could, however, be transformed into great opportunities. This was stated by the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, before the highly esteemed Berlin economic forum, which is organized by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. The event is concurrent with ITB,the largest-scale international tourism exhibition worldwide, in the German capital.

Minister Angelkova emphasized that the most important priority of Bulgaria’s presidency is the European perspective and the connectivity of the Western Balkans. We have achieved prominent progress over the last two decades. Economies in the region grew by 2.6% in 2017, opening huge opportunities for trans-border cooperation. Integration is a fact in tourism and we keep developing joint product projects, she underscored.

Bulgariahas a strategic position providing easy access to the market of over 150 mil. consumers in South-Eastern Europe. We have attracted over EUR 45 bil. in international investments over the last 20 years. The GDP growth in 2017 is nearly 4%, we are reporting the second lowest government debt level, compared to GDP in Europe, the Minister announced to the forum participants. She added that the country is among the leading investment destinations for IT, outsourcing of business processes, and manufacturing of car parts. Bulgaria is in the top 10 countries with the fastest internet and ranks first in Europe in terms of broadband network coverage, Nikolina Angelkova indicated further.

The Minister pointed out the importance of tourism as a structurally crucial sector of Bulgaria’s economy, which was elevated to national priority by the government. The average statistical 6% growth of incoming tourists to our country during the 5 most recent years is above the EU and worldwide averages. We reported nearly 8.9 mil. international tourists in 2017, exceeding Bulgaria’s own populace. Revenues from international tourism in the country amount to BGN 6.9 billion, which is a 9% growth compared to 2016, indicatedMinister Angelkova. She explained that the development of subsectors such as cultural, business, conference, spa and wellness itineraries, of wine and gourmet tours are among the Ministry’s major targets in promoting Bulgaria as a competitive destination.

Within the Berlin Economic Forum’s framework Minister Angelkova also held a meeting with Mark Donfried, Director General of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin. She presented the priorities of the Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council, as well as the newly created Map of Investment Projects, which the Ministry of Tourismis actively promoting to international entrepreneurs. My main goal is to transform our country into a year-round tourism destination offering a high-grade product, stated the Minister.

Nikolina Angelkova drew attention to digitalization in the tourism sector, the challenges and opportunities, which it delivers. We are expecting the inclusion of digital technology to contribute to the sustainable development of tourism in the country, announced Minister Angelkova, adding that the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism is the first one internationally to provide a service enabling direct sharing of tourism sites via Viber’s Chat Extension.