Minister Ilin Dimitrov and the Secretary General of WTO Zurab Pololikashvili Held Meetings with the President and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria

Zurab Pololikashvili and Prof. Alessandra Priante, Director of the Europe Department of WTO, were awarded with high state honors by President Rumen Radev

The Minister of Tourism Dr. Ilin Dimitrov and the Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili held joint meetings with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and the Prime Minister Galab Donev. The meetings were attended by Alessandra Priante, Director of the Europe Department of the WTO and Alexey Andreev, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Spain and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria in the WTO. The two representatives of the World Tourism Organization are in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 68th Meeting of the Regional Commission ‘Europe’ of the World Tourism Organization, which will be held in Sofia in the period 31 May—2 June. Bulgaria has been the vice-president of the Commission since 2021 and for the second time hosts the prestigious event, which contributes to the promotion of our country's image as a tourist destination, being the focus of discussions at the highest level on the future of European tourism. The key international tourism event brings together more than 20 tourism ministers and delegations from nearly 40 countries.

At a solemn ceremony in the Coat of Arms Hall at Dondukov 2, President Rumen Radev awarded the Order of Cyril and Methodius, First Class, to the Secretary General of the WTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, who has headed the Organization since 2018, for his great services to the promotion of the Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage and culture, and the Order of Cyril and Methodius, Second Class, to Prof. Alessandra Priante for the promotion of Bulgarian heritage and culture.

At the award ceremony President Radev highlighted the hard work of Minister Dimitrov and the team of the Ministry of Tourism and called the Secretary General a true friend of Bulgarian tourism.

Under the leadership of Zurab Pololikashvili, the relations between Bulgaria and the World Tourism Organization have significantly intensified, which puts our country among the leading countries working to develop policies for the development of the tourism sector in Europe.

On the recommendation of the Secretary General, Bulgaria submitted its candidature to host the 68th meeting of the Regional Commission ‘Europe’ (RCE) of the WTO, which was approved at a meeting in Yerevan, Armenia.

Earlier, Minister Dimitrov and his guests also met with Prime Minister Galab Donev.

During the meeting they discussed Bulgaria's state priorities in the field of tourism.

Prime Minister Donev stressed that the government's priority is to restore and return tourism to the path of growth and competitiveness. In this regard, it was noted that according to WTO Bulgaria is among the best recovering destinations in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019 — in 6th place in terms of number of tourist arrivals — with an increase of 27%.

Prime Minister Donev also stressed that Bulgaria shares the vision of the WTO on tourism as an engine of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and the promotion of competitive and sustainable tourism policies and confirmed that our country is a strong advocate of the promotion of tourism as a tool for strengthening international peace and development in the context of unprecedented global challenges that affect all nations of the world.

‘It is a pleasure for us to work with good professionals and partners,’ said Zurab Pololikashvili, adding: ‘We highly appreciate that tourism is a top priority for the Bulgarian government.’ He expressed hope that the work of our country will soon lead to increased international investment in Bulgarian tourism. 

Within the framework of the forum a meeting of the Secretary General of the WTO with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov is also planned.

Since its accession, our country has actively participated in the work of the World Tourism Organization and has been a member of its senior governing bodies on numerous occasions over the years. The WTO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and is the most significant and influential international organization in the field of tourism, of which Bulgaria has been a member since 1976. Our country is strongly committed to supporting the Organization in promoting competitive and sustainable tourism policies and tourism as an engine of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability.

Over the years, Bulgaria has hosted a number of prestigious events of the WTO, including the 6th Session of the General Assembly, the 75th Session of the Executive Board, the International Congress of World Civilizations and Creative Tourism, the International Conference ‘On the Western Silk Road’, the International Congress of World Civilizations and Historical Routes and many others, as a result of which our country was further promoted as a tourist destination.