Tourism Minister Promoting Bulgaria on US Visit

Bulgaria should use public-private partnerships to a bigger extent to develop its tourism industry as they do in the United States, Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova has said.

Angelkova has made her comments in an interview for Focus News Agency, after meeting with Kenneth Hyatt, the US Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, in Washington, DC.

She has explained that the States are ready to share their experience in public-private partnerships.

Angelkova has discussed with Hyatt the US administration's concept of tourism promotion and use of the Brand USA.

"What impressed me is that for every dollar given by businesses [to develop tourism], a dollar is also given by the federal government," the minister has added, referring to the regulations under which taxes collected from the tourism industry redirect certain amount of money to Brand USA and this invest it into tourism marketing.

Brand USA is a public-private entity that has been active since May 2011 and manage what is calls the United States' "first global marketing effort".

Earlier this week, Angelkova had several meetings, including one with Brand USA officials and one at the National Geographic's headquarters.

She also took part in a discussion with members of the US-based Bulgarian community in the country's embassy in Washington.

Throughout 2015, Bulgaria was visited by 82 000 tourists from the States, most of them being interested in cultural tourism, but also spa, gourmet and wine.