Minister Angelkova: Through stimulating interior tourism we’ll boost regional development

The Ministry’s campaign for stimulating interior tourism is a possibility for regional development that municipalities should take full advantage of. This is what Minister Nikolina Angelkova said during her visit to the Montana municipality. The regional governor of Montana Ivailo Petrov and the MP Desislava Atanasova were among the participants in the daily discussions. Minister Angelkova visited the Kastra ad Montanezium Fortress which is part of the 50 little known tourist sites which the Ministry is currently promoting under the Operational Programme “Regional Development”.   

“The Fortress in Montana is an example of how these 50 sites are socialized but need more promotion in order to achieve better development”, noted Nikolina Angelkova. Three of the sites enlisted in the 50 little known attractions are located in the Montana region: these are Sluncheva Gradina (The Sunny Garden), the Kastra ad Montanezium Fortress and the Chiprovtsi destination. 

The Montana Fortress has been funded by the Project for the Integrated Development of the Cultural and Historical Tourism in the Montana Municipality as part of the Operational Programme “Regional Development” and the investment amounts to 1.3 million leva. A parking area, walking alleys and a visitors’ center among other things have been created. The gradual conservation, renovation, exhibition and socialization of the archeological structures have also been carried out as part of the project. 

A main goal of the project for the renovation of the Kastra ad Montanezium Fortress is to develop and integrated tourist product in the Montana municipality which will increase the share of tourism in the local economy and will increase public interest in the cultural and historical heritage of Northwestern Bulgaria. The key geographic location of the town of Montana is a precondition for attracting tourists from the country, Romania and Serbia.

 “You have all that is needed to develop active tourism and this will liven up the region”, noted Minister Angelkova. She announced that during the past weekend she had visited the Tsari Mali Grad Fortress in the Samokov region which had welcomed 500 000 visitors in 2014 while in 2015 the number of visitors is expected to rise to 700-800 000 people. “This could also happen in Monatana“, stressed the Minister.

“With Marc Girardelli who is my advisor in the winter tourism sector we’ll visit the area in the vicinity of Kom to see what the preconditions are for the development of winter tourism in Stara planina”, added Angelkova. She noted that one of the Ministry’s priorities is to develop mountain tourism not only in the popular Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets resorts but also in places all over the country.

Minister Angelkova met with the mayors of all the municipalities within the region. She presented what the Ministry has achieved so far in terms of creating an online register of the tourist sites and attractions. “Without your assistance and updated information about each municipality we could not possibly develop local tourism”, explained Minister Angelkova.  She appealed to the local authorities to be more active in providing additional information for the register. 

Minister Angelkova met with representatives of the tourist branch in Berkovitsa to discuss possibilities for developing mountain tourism. Talks with the branch industry were held in Vurshets where Mnister Angelkova examined the condition of Sluncheva Gradina after the hurricane winds at the end of January.