Minister Angelkova showcased Bulgaria’s potential before Paul Brown, assistant deputy secretary of state at the US Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, held talks with Paul Brown, assistant deputy secretary of state for transportation affairs at the US Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs - EB, showcasing to him our country’s potential as an attractive year-round destination. The meeting is part of the agenda during the minister’s work visit to USA.

Minister Angelkova emphasized that Bulgaria is being promoted increasingly actively by state-of-the-art means such itinerary of the European tourism map. She drew attention to the fact that digitalization and the internet presence are among the main highlights in the ministry’s promotional and marketing campaign. The sector is one of the defining sectors of Bulgaria’s economy, having been upgrade to national priority by the government, she said.

Intensive economic development of the country and the region is another key highlight in our work and also a focus for Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU Council since the start of 2018, added the minister.

She advised the assistant deputy secretary of state of our country’s excellent performance in tourism. During the 2015–2017 period the average annual growth in tourist visits to our country was 12%, compared to circa 6-7 per cent EU-wide for the same period. Last year alone, Bulgaria registered nearly 8.9 mil. international tourism visits, a 7.6% growth compared to 2016, considerably exceeding the country’s populace. Our revenues from international tourism are also high – some BGN 6,9 bil. last year, a 9.3% growth compared to 2016, announced Minister Angelkova.

Bulgaria is becoming increasingly recognizable as a 4-season travel and vacation itinerary. Apart from the traditional winter and sea tourism, we are offering diverse niche tourism services, which are increasingly in demand. The Ministry created eight cultural-historical destinations for the country’s territory, considerably enhancing the tourist flow to those locations. Presently, 12 wine-gourmet destinations are also being developed, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forests, businesses, and municipalities, the idea being to promote specific tourism products in the regions and encourage local marketing in tourism, explained Minister Angelkova.

She further emphasized that Bulgaria is among the European countries richest in mineral water and medical resources, with the potential to become the continents spa hub. Medical spa tourism is among the leading highlights in our product policy. This is why we are preparing 7 specialized destinations for this tourism type as well.

Nikolina Angelkova also commented specifically on Bulgaria’s potential as a country with rich heritage spanning at least 7 historical era. We have over 40 000 discovered artefacts, ranking us third in Europe in this type of heritage. It is a basis to deploy new projects and itineraries for cultural-historical tourism, which is becoming an ever stronger motivation for trips around Europe and worldwide, said Minister Angelkova.

Paul Brown saluted Bulgaria’s achievements in tourism, recognizing our country as being very beautiful, with strong potential for tourism development, emphasizing that it is a key partner for USA, and congratulating it on the important role as rotational president of the EU Council. The host also appreciated highly Bulgaria’s priorities for cooperation and partnership in the economy and tourism both in the region and on a more global scale.

EB is a unit of the US Department of State, which is charged with promoting economic security and prosperity at home and abroad. It reports to the Minister of the Economy, Energy, and Environment. The Bureau’s work lies at the nexus of economic prosperity and national security, addressing a range of economic issues including intellectual property rights, and helping in the promotion of a coherent economic policy across the US government.