Bulgaria and Turkey will attract remote destination tourists with joint promotion of their folklore and cuisine

Turkey is the 4^th incoming market for Bulgarian tourism, announced Minister Angelkova during a meeting with Minister Kurtulmuş in Sofia.

Turkish tourists travelling to our country last year were 12.5% more, exceeding 636 000. Thus, the Turkey market ranks 4^th among the leading countries for incoming tourism to our country. This was said by the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, to Numan Kurtulmuş, Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism. The minister added further that our southern neighbour is among the preferred international travel destinations for Bulgarians, whose number grew by 7.6 per cent last year.

Minister Angelkova presented to her guests the currently developed wine-gourmet and spa routes and the digital projects, such as cooperation with Viber ad the setting up of Chat Extension, which enables direct sharing of tourism sites.

Tourism is a key sector for the strengthening of international cooperation as well, stated Minister Angelkova, adding that Bulgaria is working with its partners from South-Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans to create joint projects in the area of cultural, historical, sea, wellness, rural, environmental, and religious tourism. Turkey plays an important part in this context, we are working together within the tourism task group of OBSEC, the minister said further, explaining that a meeting of the ministers responsible for tourism in the OBSEC member-states is due to be held and invited her counterpart to the scheduled event.

The task group established between Bulgaria and Turkey is an example of the good partnership the two countries have. Today’s meeting between ministers Angelkova and Kurtulmuş is precisely what symbolically inaugurates the commencement of the task group’s operations. Its purpose is to prepare joint projects to promote Turkish and Bulgarian folklore customs, kitchen, and others. With these the two countries will attract more tourists, the main focus being remote markets, such as China, India, and USA.

Days of Bulgaria in Turkey and Days of Turkey in Bulgaria are in the pipeline of events. We are preparing a marketing promotional campaign for the Turkish market, stated Minister Angelkova, explaining that the special target groups will include not only tour operators and agencies, but end user as well, such as families with children. It is exceptionally important for use to attract more Turkish tourists to Bulgaria during winter, Minister Angelkova commented further.

Minister Kurtulmuş congratulated Minister Angelkova for the consistent work and efforts for the advancement of tourism in Bulgaria, stating preparedness for cooperation in the future joint projects, which will contribute to the sector’s development both in the two countries and region-wide.