Miroslav Borshosh met with the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Dzidzikostas

Today in Brussels the Bulgarian Minister of Tourism held a working meeting with the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Dzidzikostas.  The meeting took place during the Destination Europe High Level Forum. The event was opened by Commissioner Dzidzikostas, as this is his first public appearance after his election to the new European Commission under the presidency of Mrs Ursula von der Leyen.

"Better positioning of Bulgaria on the global tourism market is feasible through the introduction of international standards and practices in line with the requirements of tourism demand. It is necessary to create a new permanent financial mechanism through which Member States can address specific challenges, among which is undoubtedly the accelerated introduction of innovations to increase the competitiveness of tourism at national and European level” - said Minister Borsosh in his conversation with the Commissioner.

The European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism said that he is starting to analyse the problems region by region in order to shape the European Union's new strategy for sustainable tourism development. Commissioner Dzidzikostas and Minister Miroslav Borshosh agreed on the need to listen to the opinion of all stakeholders in tourism both at regional and local level. Borshosh is the first minister from the Balkan countries with whom the Commissioner is meeting, which is key for the opportunities opening for our country.

The summit brought together industry leaders, policy makers from various countries and other tourism stakeholders. They all discussed the need for more sustainable tourism practices and how to maximise the positive impact of tourism on economic development across Europe. Bulgaria is part of a network of 33 member countries of the European Travel Commission (ETC) in a long-term strategic partnership to promote Europe as a tourist destination.

Key participants in the forum's panels were Nikolina Burnjac (MEP and former Minister of Tourism of Croatia), Glen Fogel (CEO of booking.com), Miguel Sanz (President of the European Tourist Board), Alessandra Priante (President of the Italian Tourist Board) and Eduardo Santander, (Executive Director of ETC).

The main theme of the discussion was overcoming the immediate challenges that affect the future of the European tourism industry, from geopolitical instability and inflation to extreme weather events.