Zaritza Dinkova: Bulgaria will host meeting of tourism ministers of Italy, Spain and Greece

Italy's Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, said that her country is working extremely well with the Ministry of Tourism in Bulgaria and Minister Dinkova

‘We are planning a meeting at the end of May to discuss security, cooperation and the development of tourism between Italy, Spain and Greece. Minister Daniela Santanchè has already confirmed her presence, stating her willingness to take part in the flamenco festival organised by the municipality of Shabla, which will take place in early June,’ Tourism Minister Zaritza Dinkova said after the meeting with her Italian counterpart Daniela Santanchè.

Santanchè added that cooperation under the southern flank of Europe — the Mediterranean cooperation — is extremely important for all countries in the region. ‘We see Bulgaria as an important partner and we will work together for security and peace because this is very important for tourism. I will be in Bulgaria at the end of May. I underline that we are working extremely well with the Ministry of Tourism in Bulgaria and in particular with the Minister of Tourism Zaritza Dinkova,’ Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism in Italy said.

Santanchè showed great interest in the spa services offered by Bulgarian tourism, saying that she would personally get to know them. ‘First of all, we have the advantage of having an exceptional number of mineral springs. And secondly — thanks to the development of business and the efforts made by the industry our country is presented as an increasingly better spa destination, and thus Bulgaria is increasingly competitive on the European market,’ Minister Dinkova stressed.

As a reason for the great interest of Italian tourists to Bulgaria, Zaritza Dinkova pointed to the good air connectivity, but after our accession to Schengen by air and water, interest in our country is expected to grow. ‘Our data for the period January — November 2023 shows that 138,641 Italian tourists have visited Bulgaria, which is 36.5% more than in the same period in 2022. Provisional results for December 2023 show a more than 45% increase in Italian tourist arrivals compared to December 2022,’ the Tourism Minister further pointed out.

Minister Dinkova stressed that in addition to the incoming tourist flow, the Ministry's data clearly show that Italy is among the preferred destinations for Bulgarian tourists. More than 247 thousand Bulgarians visited Italy from January to November 2023, which is ahead of the levels before the Covid pandemic.

This year the Ministry will open the first national tourism office in Spain, which will also be responsible for the Italian market.