Bulgaria will host the 68th session of the WTO Regional Commission for Europe, which opens at the end of May

The dates when Bulgaria will host the 68th Session of the Regional Commission for Europe of the World Tourism Organization at the United Nations have already been specified. The session will take place in Sofia in the period 31 May - 2 June 2023. Voting for the vacant seats in the Europe Region of the WTO Executive Council for the period 2023-2027 is also scheduled for then. As we reported to you yesterday, in 2023 the terms of four of the European countries that are members of the WTO Executive Council - France, Italy, Portugal and Türkiye - will expire, as will the Russian Federation, which has terminated its full membership of the organisation. 

Bulgaria pays special attention to the upcoming hosting, which will strengthen our image as one of the most proactive WTO members. The hosting and the vote are of utmost importance for Bulgaria, as it has a real chance to stand in one of the seats after the Minister of Tourism officially submitted Bulgaria’s candidacy yesterday. This act clearly stated Bulgaria's ambition to take a leading role in tourism processes, as well as to raise significantly the awareness of its international partners about its vision in defining regional and global policies in this key sector for the world economy.

We would like to remind you that the election of Bulgaria as host country of the 68th meeting of the Regional Commission for Europe is an act of unconditional support at the highest institutional level by the most renowned format for cooperation in the sector. This is also a great opportunity to present the Bulgarian tourism product to an extremely wide and professionally oriented audience, including ministers, government officials, business representatives, academics, etc. At the same time, the prospect of being part of the Executive Council of the Organization is a prerequisite for Bulgaria to contribute to shaping the modern construction and ecosystem of tourism at a time when it is intensively changing and developing.