The Prince of Saudi Arabia, Al Saud, viewed cultural-historical places of interest in Sofia and learned about opportunities to invest in alpine and spa tourism

The Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, presented to the Saudi Arabia Prince, Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the opportunities to invest in Bulgarian tourism. He came on an official visit to our country, at the Bulgarian Minister’s invitation, arriving with a significant delegation of businessmen and government sector representatives. The Prince is a son of the Arab country’s current king, as well as President and Chair of the Board of Directors of that country’s Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

During his visit he saw some of our capital city’s most notable landmarks – the Atrium, the Sofia Museum, Ivan Vazov National Theatre, and others. At the National Historical Museum Prince Sultan Al Saud was impressed by our country’s Thracian heritage and the artefacts found on Bulgarian soil. He also received an invitation to attend the Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism, which the Ministry of Tourism will organize jointly with the World Tourism Organization in the end of November.

Minister Angelkova also presented opportunities for investment in alpine and spa tourism, with the Borovets resort development project being presented in detail. She underscored that the current year is shaping out as record-breaking one for Bulgarian tourism and that the sector needs high-end hotels. The stats presented show that this year the 4-star and 5-star hotel have very good occupancy rates and that the Black Seaside season is extending.

The Prince was also familiarized with our major advantages as an investment destination – low taxes, financial stability, more than EUR 44 bln. of foreign direct investments in our country over 20 years, 27 projects in tourism, which are recognized by the government via investment class certificates, etc.

During his visit, Prince Sultan al Saud also held meetings with President Rossen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Valentin Poryazov. He also extended an invitation for a Bulgarian delegation to visit Saudi Arabia in order to continue work on the highlighted subject matter.