Minister Angelkova: I hope more municipalities and organizations will apply for the Annual Awards in Tourism

I hope more Municipalities and organizations will apply for the Annual Awards in Tourism. It is a way to distinguish those, who are putting in efforts to develop the sector. Thus said in Slivnitsa the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, at a meeting with local tourism businesses, which was arranged by the Municipality mayor, Vasko Stoilkov. The initiative was officially kick-started today, with representatives of businesses, Municipalities and media now being apply to apply until 20 November 2016 in the various categories, on the dedicated internet platform set up for the purpose – www.tourismawards.bg.

„We will support Slivnitsa Municipality for the reinstatement of the First Soldiers’ Monument located in its territory into the list of 100 national tourism sites“, Nikolina Angelkova said during the discussion. The monument used to be part of those 100 tourism sites but was then removed. The Municipality has now put into place all the conditions necessary for tourists and has taken up an initiative to have the monument to the list of attractions.

„Slivnitsa is very near to Sofia and such attractions are necessary so that more people may opt to go to the municipality for their vacation or one-day trip“, Nikolina Angelkova commented. Many guest houses have been opened here in recent years, while the Municipality arranges a number of festivals and events, which also attract hundreds of visitors. „To support these efforts of yours, we are also elaborating an online registry of festivals in order to promote local initiatives“, the Minister of Tourism added.

Slivnitsa’s proximity to Sofia, the findings from the so-called Via Diagonalis between Europe and Asia Minor, and the memorable events following the Liberation all make the area very lively and accessible to tourists. Slivnitsa is among the Municipalities contributing to the development of tourism in the Sofia region. Its favourable crossroads location boosts that process. According to NSI data, during the period of January-August 2016 a total of 189 000 tourists have spent nights in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, which is a 13% growth vis-à-vis the same period of 2015. During the said period, a total of over 526 000 night-stays were achieved, being a 15% growth. Revenues from those night-stays total BGN 19,7 mil. – 21% up.

The region is mostly associated with the dramatic battles of the then-nascent Bulgarian army near Slivnitsa and Aldomirovtsi in November 1885, during the Serbian-Bulgarian War. The name Slivnitsa became famous not only Bulgaria-wide, but globally, via the foreign war correspondents. Many monuments in the area honour the memory of those fallen for Bulgaria in subsequent wars as well. Most of the local tourism routes pass through these notable locations, along with the culture institutions preserving the rich archaeological heritage covering numerous eras – Neolithic Age and Chalcolithic Age, Thracians, Slavs, Protobulgarians, Romans, Byzantines. The earliest human traces were left here some five-six thousand years ago. The beautiful nature and proximity to Sofia make this place very suitable for construction of guest houses and development of small and medium tourism businesses.