Minister Angelkova opens the Bulgarian stand at the FITUR trade fair in Madrid

The Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, opened the Bulgarian stand at the biggest tourism exposition in Madrid - FITUR. The forum is primarily intended for professionals and is the second most important worldwide, following ITB in Berlin. It is held between 17 - 21 January, the first three days being allocated solely for sector players and meetings among business organizations from various countries. In its last two days it also offers access to individual visitors and tourists.

Bulgaria participates with an information stand located at an area of over 80 sq. m., with the main highlight in our showcasing being the country’s natural and cultural landmarks. Visitors and professionals from Spain take interest in the opportunities to see churches and monasteries, as well as natural landmarks. Other in-demand products have to do with adventure tours – rafting, rock climbing, and mountain hiking. Apart from being able to become familiar with the various tourism opportunities in Bulgaria, forum visitors will also be able to try traditional Bulgarian wines during the event’s last two days.

During the January-November period of 2017 international tourists coming from Spain to our country grew by over 37 per cent compared to the previous year’s same period to exceed 77 000, said Minister Angelkova during the stand opening. She clarified that the country is among the 30 leading generating markets for Bulgaria, ranking 11th among the EU countries only. Bulgarians traveling to Spain during the January-November period of 2017 were nearly 160 000, registering a 24% compared to the year before.

Along with the Ministry of Tourism, 10 companies also feature at the Bulgarian stand, offering travel with mostly cultural-historical focus. This year the interest of businesses in the exposition is on the rise and the number of companies presented is growing.