The Ministry of Tourism Held a Series of Bilateral Business Meetings in Germany

A series of bilateral business meetings between German and Bulgarian representatives of the tourism sector was held successfully and with great interest on the German market in order to strengthen and develop the ties between the two countries and to promote Bulgaria as a tourist destination. The initiative was carried out from 6 to 10 February by the Ministry of Tourism, starting in Berlin and touring a total of six German cities, including Leipzig, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Duisburg and Düsseldorf. 

This is the second such so called ‘roadshow’, following the success of the one held in Poland at the end of last year.

At the opening H.E.  Elena Shekerletova took part, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Federal Republic of Germany, who emphasized the importance of the German tourism market and the huge potential between the two countries in this area. The delegation, composed of 15 representatives of the tourism sector — tour operators and hoteliers, is led by the Bulgarian Tourist Attaché in Berlin and representative of the Ministry of Tourism in Germany Tihomir Patarinski. On the business side, the cooperation took place with the assistance of Dr. Frank Kwante — Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance and CEO of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD. 

‘This is news that shows the benefits of collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, the NGO sector and real businesses. Something that we are not only talking about, but also doing.’ With this comment, Minister Ilin Dimitrov expressed his satisfaction with the success of the initiative and thanked everyone involved.

Bulgarian companies participating in this series of meetings held working discussions with over 300 potential German partners. The proposals of the Bulgarian business, mainly focused on sea holidays, were met with interest. An additional focus of the talks was the opportunities for sightseeing tours, medical and health, hiking and other specific types of tourism. The German travel agencies and tour operators expressed hope and positive expectations regarding the programmes to Bulgaria this year. It was stressed that the expansion of the flying programme and the provision of additional seats to Bulgaria is essential for the realisation of a successful season.

Currently, early bookings at individual tour operators are up by 20% compared to a year earlier.  

Press conferences with representatives of the tourism media were held in Berlin and Munich to present Bulgaria's potential as a tourist destination.  The meetings also discussed opportunities for year-round tourism in our country, connectivity between the two countries and potential development trends. 

The Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Munich Dragomir Dimitrov and the Honorary Consulate in Leipzig Heiko Schmidt also actively participated in the individual locations, as well as the heads of our local trade missions Aneta Gruycheva, Stefan Yonkov and Rumen Bonev in the B2B meetings.  

Germany is one of the main and priority tourist markets for Bulgaria, with the number of visits and overnight stays increasing over the last two years, but still below the pre-crisis levels of 2019. Germans are among the tourists with the longest average stay in the country — 4.5 to 4.7 days, which is due to the organized nature of their trips for sea holidays, sightseeing tours, health, spa and wellness tourism, as well as their tendency to arrive for early and late visits to our coast, which successfully seal the wings of the season.  
All participants in the business meetings shared the opinion that such initiatives are extremely useful and help to realize the potential in the field of tourism between the two countries.

A third ‘road show’ with a series of professionally oriented meetings of a business delegation in Israel is coming up.

‘We are going to schedule such presentations in 5 countries next year. The idea is for our tourist attachés to organize this type of events annually in target markets abroad,’ said Minister Ilin Dimitrov.