Zaritza Dinkova: We are ready to attract more Chinese tourists with the creation of new tourist routes

We are ready to attract more Chinese tourists by creating new tourist routes. This is what the Minister of Tourism Zaritza Dinkova said at a meeting with the Governor of the Chinese province of Jiangxi Ye Jianchun.

"For me and my team it is an exceptional priority to increase the tourism flow between Bulgaria and China," said Minister Dinkova. She noted that for the period January-July 2023, the total number of visits of Chinese tourists in Bulgaria is 6,806, which is an increase of 138% compared to the same period of 2022.

Minister Dinkova pointed out that Bulgaria is a year-round destination with its famous winter and seaside resorts, beautiful sandy beaches, mineral springs, spa centres and golf courses. Analyses of the Ministry of Tourism show that Chinese tourists in our country show increased interest in cultural tourism, with the most visited Bulgarian cities being Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo and Varna.

"We are working on the preparation of tourist packages that are for combined visits to several Balkan countries. In this way, Chinese tourists are given the opportunity to get to know the culture and history of the region," said Minister Dinkova. She added that the possibility of opening a direct flight is also being considered.

Governor Ye Jianchun said that Bulgaria is enjoying growing interest from Chinese visitors. "It is important for people to have contact with Bulgarian culture and history, in which they show serious interest, so I welcome the idea of creating special tourist routes and I believe they will be a success," he said.

Ye Jianchun invited Minister Dinkova to pay a working visit to Jiangxi province, which is home of 45 million people, to discuss ways for joint partnership.