Minister Angelkova: Tourism is among the most dynamically developing industries and constitutes nearly 13% of the GDP

27 September 2017

Dear colleagues, partners and friends,

Let me congratulate with the World Tourism Day - 27 September!

I address all of you, who are professionally engaged in our sector, which is extremely important, and wish you to preserve the energy, efforts and purpose-oriented endeavors that you invest every day in the good image of Bulgaria.

This year the motto of the World Tourism Day is “Sustainable tourism - a tool for development”. According to data of the UN World Tourism Organization from 2016, the international tourists amount to 1.2 billion people. This is the seventh successive year of global sustainable growth in the sector.

Tourism is among the most dynamically developing industries of the Bulgarian economy as well. For the government administration it is a priority. According to data of the World Travel and Tourism Council from 2016, the gross domestic product formed in the sector and the related economic activities is above 11.6 billion BGN, which is nearly 13% of the country’s indicator.

The World Tourism Day is a great occasion to render the deserved recognition to all of you, whose everyday efforts make Bulgarian tourism so successful. In 2016 the persons employed in tourism and related activities are 363 billion people, which is nearly 12% of all employed persons in Bulgaria. Tourism is not only a set of positive emotions, knowledge and experience, but also a field of responsible professional activity for entire families, who practise it as an ancestral occupation.

I am proud that thanks to your proactive and targeted work Bulgaria gains ground on the international market as a competitive and distinguishable destination for four seasons, offering a high-quality tourist product. Thanks to your efforts, competence and energy, we are going in the right direction. The growth in the number of foreign tourists, who chose Bulgaria as a destination in the first seven months of this year, is over 7% compared to the same period of last year.

Thank you once more for your contribution to the sustainable development of the sector.

I wish to you and your families good health and inspiration for even higher professional achievements!

NIKOLINA ANGELKOVA

Minister of Tourism

Facebook icon
Twitter icon
Google icon
e-mail icon