Български
English
Deputy Minister
Irena Georgieva
Irena Georgieva graduated in Sociology from St Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia, earning a gold medal for academic excellence and active public engagement.
Most of her career has been dedicated to tourism, with nearly 25 years of management experience as a travel agency manager. Her know-how in the field is further demonstrated by numerous certificates, establishing her as a highly knowledgeable professional in the tourism industry.
Irena Georgieva served as Deputy Minister of Tourism from February 2015 to May 2021.
Since 2006, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA). From 2009 to 2013, she served as ABTTA’s Acting President. She then returned to the Board as a member, a position she held until February 2015.
A recognised international expert in tourism, she also served on the Board of Directors of ECTAA (the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations). Within ECTAA, she held the roles of Director and Deputy Director and served as the Association’s President from 2010 to 2012.
Irena Georgieva is fluent in Russian, French and English.
Pavlin Petrov
Pavlin Petrov holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and Tourism from the Dimitar A. Tsenov Academy of Economics and a Law Degree from the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
He is a seasoned representative of professionals in the tourism industry, with a wealth of experience in the private sector.
His professional career spans the hotel and catering industry, as well as the fields of education, vocational training and staff qualification.
Between 2018 and April 2024, Pavlin Petrov served as co-chair of the Bulgarian Association of Restaurants, one of the most influential organisations in the sector.
In this role, he actively engaged in public and organisational work to promote best practices and mitigate corruption mechanisms to address the personnel crisis in the tourism sector, particularly in restaurants and hotels. He participated in dialogues to initiate public debates and legislative changes, encouraging investment in tourism, job creation, and the improvement of tourism product quality.
Pavlin Petrov speaks fluent English.
