Minister Miloshev discussed prospects for the development of the Strandzha region and the Southern Black Sea coast with representatives of the local industry

Climatotherapy and digitalization of tourism are among the directions worth working on

The prospects for Bulgaria to develop climatotherapy as part of health tourism were discussed by the Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev together with the representatives of the ‘Association ‘Raphael — info, culture & tourism’. The meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers of Tourism Irena Georgieva and Pavlin Ivanov, as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Committee in the National Assembly Lyuben Dilov.

The association presented its idea, also an initiative of the Bulgarian Association for Climatotherapy and Health Tourism, to create a digital map of climatic resorts in Bulgaria as a tool for year-round sustainable development of tourism in Bulgaria and of local communities. According to them, this could also be a step towards implementing a new advertising and marketing brand for combined year-round green tourism. The restoration of former sanatoriums and hospitals for pre-treatment can also attract new European markets with a focus on health tourism and forms of prevention and treatment. 

Climatic treatment can successfully complement the balneological and health-recreational centers with mineral and thermal springs, places with sea lye, with beautiful untouched nature, ancient customs such as Nestinarstvo in Strandzha and other authentic local festivals, which together form a rich and diverse tourist product.

‘This is a big concept that requires serious long-term work. In order to establish climate therapy as a type of tourism and to enshrine it in law, there must be very clear criteria and standards’, Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev stressed, but added: ‘I think it's worth working in that direction.’

There are nearly 90 climatic mountain and sea resorts in Bulgaria, about which little is known, but they hide huge potential, the association stressed. These are places with an absolutely clean environment, beautiful nature and healing air, which are easily accessible but are not listed in the Tourism Act. They gave examples such as the regions of Strandzha, Sandanski and Petrich, Yundola, Kotel and other little-known points on the map. At the same time, these places often have a demographic collapse and turning them into year-round destinations for green and health and recreational tourism will have a great social and economic impact on local communities, stressed the ‘Association Raphael’. They presented more interesting facts that are a prerequisite for the development of various forms of eco and environmentally friendly tourism: Strandzha is the mountain with the oldest oak forest in Europe and with the most protected areas, with a huge potential of undiscovered archaeological wealth and with the only bamboo plantations in Bulgaria. And only two places in our country, one of which is located there — in Malko Tarnovo and in St. Vlas are the so-called. ‘climatic oxygen funnels’ or the natural process of natural ozonation, which brings exceptional health benefits and is a prerequisite for the healing effects of air.