site.btaCaretaker Tourism Minister Baltova Confers with Head of ITB Berlin David Ruetz

Caretaker Tourism Minister Baltova Confers with Head of ITB Berlin David Ruetz

Berlin/Sofia, March 10 (BTA) - Caretaker Tourism Minister Stella Baltova has conferred with David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin, Baltova's Ministry said in a press release Thursday. The two discussed Bulgaria's 50th participation next year at the ITB Berlin trade show. More than 187 countries take part in this year's edition of the event which has 0,000 exhibitors and more than 200,000 visitors.

Baltova has also conferred with TUI France's Astrid Eilert. After a break of more than nine years, TUI will again be bringing French tourists to the Bulgarian Black Sea. In mid-May TUI starts direct flights from French airports to the coastal city of Bourgas, it emerged at the talks. TUI manager for Bulgaria Detlef Hoehne said that bookings for holidays in Bulgaria have increased on all markets. By countries, the increases are as follows: 35 per cent in bookings from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 30 per cent fromPoland, 40 per cent in bookings from the Netherlands, 20 per cent from Russia, and 15 per cent from Belgium and the Scandinavian countries. TUI's holiday makers in Bulgaria in 2016 totalled 230,000.

Baltova has also conferred with representatives from the Tourism Department of the Lithuanian Economy Ministry. The participants in the talks agreed to establish working groups to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in tourism.