site.btaTourism Minister Angelkova Meets with EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu

Tourism Minister Angelkova Meets with EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu

Strasbourg/Sofia, September 14 (BTA) - Meeting with EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu in Strasbourg, Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova said expectations were that 2018 would be declared a European Year of Cultural Heritage, which can help to promote tourism, the Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday.

Angelkova and Cretu commented this would open one more opportunity to deepen cooperation and promote tourism both among the EU Member States and in the context of the Danube Strategy.

Angelkova told Cretu that Bulgaria was developing joint tourism products with several Danube Strategy countries. "We have taken steps and are partnering with several countries, and work with Romania is quite advanced," said the Tourism Minister. The two countries will hold joint events to promote their traditions on faraway markets and encourage the tourist flow between the two countries. Positive results are in evidence as nearly 680,000 Romanian tourists visited Bulgaria in the first seven months of the year, up nearly 18 per cent on a year earlier. "Romania holds steadily first place in the number of foreign tourists visiting Bulgaria. Other Danube Strategy countries such as Germany, Serbia and Austria are also important," she said.

For her part, Cretu stressed that joint efforts in tourism and culture are very important for the Danube Region and help to deepen partnership. She added that the conference in the Bulgarian town of Rousse (on the Danube) this last June was a good example of successful cooperation within the Strategy and helped to map out steps for the development of tourism across the region.

Cretu also said: "Such initiatives emphasize the importance of the Danube Strategy to the EU and help to improve coordination among the countries."