Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh with a report for the first 50 days in office

Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh made a report after the first 50 days at the head of the ministry. And summed up the achievements as follows:

"I know that it is customary for ministers to make their reports after the first 100 days, but I am doing it now after the first 50 days because in their dynamics we laid the foundation for important policies and initiatives that will be part of the image of Bulgarian tourism.

Within these 50 days: 

• We have held key working meetings with representatives of the tourism industry, with universities specialising in tourism, with the diplomatic corps, with the executive and local authorities.
• During the Destination Europe High Level Forum, I had a working meeting with the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
• In Brussels, I also had a meeting with the Bulgarian Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva in charge of Start-ups, Research and Innovation, where we discussed possible investments for innovation in tourism. 
• We welcomed 3 international delegations: 
• The Ministers of Tourism and Transport of Montenegro, Ms Simonida Kordić and Ms Maja Vukičević, with whom we are working on our common positioning in far-flung destinations.
• Mr. Márton Nod - Minister of National Economy of Hungary, with whom we signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of tourism.
• Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) Zurab Pololikashvili, with whom we signed a letter of intent and announced the first ambassador of sports tourism in the World Tourism Organization - Hristo Stoichkov.
• I welcomed the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Morocco, Romania, Turkey and Israel.
• We won and confirmed Bulgaria as the host of the ninth edition of the UN Tourism Global Wine Tourism Conference.
• We were able to secure 100 scholarships for Bulgarian students to study at the UN Tourism Online Academy.
• We have joined Mastercard's Tourism Innovation Hub to leverage the global technology company's technology to analyse and develop tourism in Bulgaria.
• A presentation is planned during EXPO 2025 in Osaka, where Bulgarian students will work at the Bulgarian booth at the suggestion of the Ministry of Tourism.
• We represented our country at 7 prestigious tourism exhibitions in Germany, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Moldova, Serbia, Denmark, from which we received recognition for the elegant and impressive Bulgarian stands.
• Bulgaria attracted strong interest as an attractive tourist destination at the first ever roadshow in Dubai. The reason - the new direct airline Abu Dhabi - Varna, which starts on 31 March this year.
• We are making health tourism one of our top priorities, with a focus on developing medical tourism, so we have established a new working group at the Ministry of Tourism.
• I have discussed with Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking.cоm, one of the world's leading online companies, the possibility of Booking.cоm undertaking checks on the actual number of short-term rentals based on data submitted by the Department on registered accommodation.
• We discovered key events for the tourism sector in Bulgaria. One of them was the SCALE EASTERN EUROPE CONFERENCE, dedicated to vacation rentals and short-term rentals. The event brought together leading experts from around the world and established Bulgaria as a leading country in Eastern Europe in terms of innovation in tourism.
• I initiated the creation of a working group to coordinate the efforts of all institutions involved in speeding up the processes of issuing tourist and work visas during a round table on "Bulgaria in Schengen - challenges and opportunities for tourism", organized by BUBSPA.
• Over 100 pages of proposals for amendments to the Tourism Act have been collected and analysed in line with the objectives set out in the Management Programme.
• Key changes to the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act for the tourism sector were approved.
• The Ministry of Tourism is organising a promotional and familiarisation tour for Polish journalists from specialised tourism media.
• We have started working on the challenges facing tourism by region:
• Municipality of Burgas - with the Mayor and the industry we discussed key issues related to the extension of the tourist season, easing the visa regime, improving the infrastructure and the strategic positioning of Burgas and Bulgaria on the international tourism market.
• The Mayor of Samokov and I visited the Beli Iskar eco-trail, where I announced that I am initiating the creation of a map of important but inaccessible and difficult to reach tourist and cultural-historical sites, and together with the local government we will insist on funding for the necessary repairs and improvements that will facilitate visitor access and support the development of local tourism.
• Stara Zagora Municipality, where we discussed with Mayor Zhivko Todorov the potential for the development of tourism in the region and a number of projects for the renovation of key sites aimed at the development of cultural and urban tourism.
• I met with Daniel Panov - Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo and Chairperson of the Board of the NAMRB, with whom we will work more actively to present the tourism potential of Bulgarian municipalities through the communication channels for marketing and advertising of the Ministry.
• I had a working meeting with the Chairperson of the Consumer Protection Commission Maria Filipova, with whom we discussed real actions to brighten the tourism industry.
• Together with the Ministry of Interior, we carried out emergency fire safety checks in the winter resorts of Bansko, Borovets, Pamporovo, as well as in Velingrad and Varshets.
• We have initiated actions for a comprehensive concept of Brand Bulgaria.
• The budget was adopted at first reading.

These are 50 days of intensive work, determination and vision for the future of Bulgarian tourism. Dozens of hours dedicated to analysis, strategic planning and dialogue with the industry.

This is just the beginning," Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh stressed.