Athens: Meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of Greece and Bulgaria

Within the framework of the forum of the World Tourism Organization in Athens, Minister Baltova held a working meeting with her Greek counterpart Harry Theocharis. Minister Baltova reported that Greece is traditionally one of Bulgaria's best partners in the field of tourism and thanked its host for its readiness to strengthen and develop this cooperation.

At the meeting, the two commented on good practices, current and future projects. The fact that Greece supports tourism, which is the leading sector with a share of 25% of the GDP of our southern neighbor, is very impressive.

At the meeting, the Bulgarian Minister discussed with his colleague initiatives and projects within the joint action program for the period 2020-2022.

Minister Baltova shared that Bulgaria is interested in expanding its partnership in EU-funded projects. Currently, both ministries are implementing the Tourism-e project, related to the promotion of cultural heritage in the cross-border area.

The vision for the creation of common tourist products to be offered on the distant markets was also discussed.

The Ministers of Tourism of Greece and Bulgaria commented on the fact that our country is a preferred destination for many Greek business representatives, tourists and students. The Bulgarian Ministry plans to invite leading Greek media to tourist tours in our best resorts as part of the marketing campaign for the Greek market in 2021.

The two agreed to start organizing the first session of the Joint Working Group on Tourism.