Tourism Minister: Bulgaria and Greece Partner in Joint Projects to Attract Tourists from Distant Markets to the Balkans

 The partnership in tourism between Bulgaria and Greece is developing and both countries are working on joint initiatives to attract more visitors to the Balkan region, Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova said at a working meeting with George Tziallas, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development at the Ministry of Tourism in Greece, the press office of the Ministry of Tourism said, reports Focus News Agency. 

The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2nd International Congress of World Civilisations and Historical Routes, which has been taking place since yesterday in Sofia and was organised by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

Minister Angelkova pointed out that Greek tourists are one of the largest groups of foreign visitors to Bulgaria, and Greece is also among the most preferred destinations for Bulgarians. Last year over 1.1 million Greek tourists visited Bulgaria, which was an 8.5% increase compared to 2016, and the country ranks first in inbound tourism for Bulgaria. For the first nine months of this year, tourist arrivals from Greece exceeded 852 thousand.

Minister Angelkova described as very promising Bulgaria's initiative to create a common Balkan tourism route, which would make the Balkans an even more attractive destination. This idea was supported by Greece at the meeting of 11 countries from the region in May 2018 in Sofia. 
Secretary General Tziallas expressed his country's full confidence in the benefits of cooperation and emphasised the joint role of tourism administrations in mobilising the industry and the experts in implementing these initiatives.