Malta supports Bulgaria’s idea to create a map of the top 100 European tourism sites

13 February 2018

Malta supports Bulgaria’s idea to create a map of the top 100 European tourism sites. The proposal was tabled by the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, during the Tourism and Economic Growth summit meeting of the ministers of tourism, a level A event in the calendar of Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU Council. The idea for the map of European tourism sites evolved following dialogue with the NGO sector. During a work meeting Minister Angelkova and Konrad Mizzi, Malta’s tourism minister, discussed the council proposals, as well as the opportunities for joint initiatives in the sector. Minister Mizzi indicated approval for the idea to set up a European Tourism Fund.

Minister Angelkova showcased last year’s achievements of Bulgarian tourism. She announced that over 8.8 mil. tourists visited the country, a 7.6 per cent growth compared to a year before. There are growth forecasts for this year as well, added the minister.

The two also discussed the opportunity to open a direct air service between Malta and Bulgaria. The ministers shared the opinion that the direct transport link would support tourism in both countries and would contribute to more travel both ways. Significant growth of Maltese tourists in Bulgaria of over 118% was registered in 2016, their number growing to nearly 5000. Malta ranks among the top 50 destinations for international travel of Bulgarians. Last year, their number grew by over 38 per cent, reaching almost 13 000.

Minister Angelkova invited her counterpart Mizzi to participate in the second edition of the International Congress on World Civilizations and Ancient Routes. The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism and the UN World Tourism Organization and is due to be held in mid-November in Sofia.

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