2024-09-17 00:40:55
According to TÜRSAB data, our country is number one in inquiries and searches by Turkish tourists for visits to our winter and spa destinations
Minister Evtim Miloshev opened the tourism forum “Bulgaria – Discover and Share” in Istanbul. The forum aims to explore opportunities for interaction between the Bulgarian and Turkish tourism products.
“I believe that there is a serious potential to further develop the exchange of tourists between the two countries,” declared Miloshev. He also added that the destinations of Bulgarian winter tourism are well known in Turkey and Bansko is within their scope, stressing that over 53,000 Turkish tourists visited Bulgaria in the period December 1, 2023 – March 25, 2024, and in the upcoming winter season there is the potential to be much more.
“There is a need to create a common tourist product between Turkey and Bulgaria. Our countries are interested in identifying common tourist routes that will be based on our common history, culture and culinary traditions,” said Tourism Minister Miloshev at the meeting with representatives of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) in Istanbul.
It has been agreed to carry out a familiarization tour for tourist operators, travel agencies and media from the Turkish side, which will present the possibilities of winter and spa tourism in Bulgaria, including in Borovets, Bansko and Pamporovo before the current winter tourist season.
During the meeting, TYURSAB shared data that our country is currently number one in inquiries and searches by Turkish tourists for visits to winter and spa resorts in our country.
The emphasis of the joint work of the National Tourist Board of Bulgaria in Turkey and TÜRSAB is placed on the promotion of the destination Bulgaria among the 25 million people who live in the areas of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir and Chorlu, due to the excellent transport connectivity that has been built in recent years and significantly reduces travel time by car.
Minister Miloshev also held a working meeting with Turkish Airlines. The focus of the talks was expanding the possibilities for attracting tourists to Bulgaria from Turkey, as well as from the destinations of China and Japan. On the part of Turkish Airlines, readiness was expressed to advertise the destination Bulgaria as part of a common tourist product with Turkey.
Talks were also held with the visa service provider VFS Global and Gateway Management. The company has offices in 7 cities in Turkey: Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Edirne, Gaziantep and Izmir and offers visa services for Turkish citizens. Minister Miloshev announced that efforts are being made to increase the capacity of diplomatic missions to process visa application documents.
We remind you that from June 2023, the Bulgarian state has a tourism attaché in Istanbul – one of our three representations, along with Berlin and Warsaw.
Within the framework of his visit to Istanbul, Minister Evtim Miloshev also held meetings with Mr. Dimitri Yotef, Chairman of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchy in Istanbul with Mr. Hristo Kopano, Deputy Chairman, making a commitment to organize 4- day tour for a visit to Bulgaria of Bulgarian children and youth aged 15-25 from the Bulgarian Exarchate. A large part of the young people have never visited Bulgaria and the goal is to show them iconic places in the homeland as care for the community, which has been preserved and preserved since the 19th century.