site.btaTourism Minister Angelkova Opens Bulgarian Stand at Intourmarket International Travel Fair in Moscow

Sofia/Moscow, March 10 (BTA) - Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova opened the Bulgarian stand at the Intourmarket International Travel Fair in Moscow, the Tourism Ministry reported Saturday.

The forum's 13th edition is held in the Russian capital between March 10 and 12. Bulgaria is represented with a stand covering 100 square metres, where the Tourism Ministry, Bulgarian municipalities and business representatives are co-exhibitors. The main focus of Bulgaria's exhibition are the opportunities for seaside, cultural and historical, and SPA and wellness tourism, which according to Angelkova, are in demand among Russian tourists in Bulgaria.

Head of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism Oleg Safonov said during a meeting with Angelkova that his country is interested in Russian tourists vacationing in Bulgaria. He predicted even more Russian tourists this year. The two conferred as part of the Intourmarket travel fair. Angelkova said that Russia is among the strategic tourist markets for Bulgaria and ranked 5th last year in terms of visits, with the number of trips coming close to 558,000. Over 9,600 Russian tourists have visited Bulgaria in January 2018 alone. A national marketing centre Visit Russia is to be opened in Bulgaria this year, the Minister said.

Over 1,400 exhibitors from over 130 countries and all of Russia's regions are participating in this year's Intourmarket exhibition, which is expected to have over 74,000 visitors.