Minister Angelkova and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova opened an international conference on tourism development in the capitals of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) states

The member-states of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) registered а total of 95 mln. visits by foreign tourists last year and the revenue from their visits amounts to around 63 bln. dollars according to data of the World Tourism Barometer. “We still have many non-utilized opportunities for partnership in tourism and we are convinced that this potential can be developed by joint initiatives, which will further develop the current achievements”, said Minister of Tourism Angelkova during the opening of the international conference “The Capital – sustainable tourism destination. Role and contribution of the media for the sustainable development of destinations”, held in Sofia. The event was attended by the Mayor of Sofia Municipality Yordanka Fandakova, Krasimir Tulechki, director of “Eastern Europe” Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the SEECP member-states, the European Tourism Commission, tourist associations, media etc.

„It is important to offer to those tourists, who visit our capitals, a variety of tourist attractions, so that they wish to stay longer”, said Minister Angelkova. In her opinion that is the reason why one of the 8 cultural and historical destinations developed by the ministry is completely focused in Sofia region. The symbiosis between historical heritage and modern services is focal for attracting more tourists. This is more than evident in Sofia – in the last year the city accommodated nearly 916 thousand visitors and the income only from overnight accommodation were 116 mln. BGN.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova announced that in 2015 the rate of registered overnight accommodations rose by 8%, and for the first five months of this year the increase is 7%. “The ancient archeological heritage of Sofia can be compared to that of Rome and Athens and we are actively involved in showing this heritage to our guests”, the mayor said.