Deputy Prime Minister Nikolova: Croatia is a priority tourist market and a partner of Bulgaria.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mariyana Nikolova held a work meeting with Nikolina Brnjac, Croatia`s Minister of Tourism and Sports. They discussed the possibilities for joint initiatives between the two countries. Some of them envisage the creation of common tourist products for third markets and the development of health, cultural, winter and sports tourism

We highly appreciate the active dialogue at the highest level in recent years, the relations between Bulgaria and Croatia are based on long-standing historical traditions and friendly relations between the two peoples, said Minister Nikolova during the meeting. Every year the number of Croatian guests visiting Bulgaria increases. In 2019, the growth was 31,1%.

At Minister Nikolovas` suggestion, the topic of resuming the activities of the Joint Working Group was also discussed. The first meeting will be held online, and in the spring of 2021 an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting in Sofia will be sought. Minister Nikolova invited Croatia to participate in tourist exhibitions in Bulgaria.

Before her homologue, Minister Nikolova presented the measures taken by the Bulgarian government in support of the tourist sector to overcome the difficulties caused by the global pandemic.

Minister Brnjac pointed out that the decline in the tourist sector in Croatia is about 60%, and this year the country was visited by only 7.4 million tourists. On her opinion, Croatia has achieved good results against the background of the crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 and the earthquake, which caused material damage in some areas of the country.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policy and Minister of Tourism Mariyana Nikolova is on a working visit to Croatia.