site.btaTourism Minister Angelkova Confers with Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Della Vedova

Sofia, October 10 (BTA) - Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova conferred here on Tuesday with Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Benedetto Della Vedova, and with Italy's Ambassador to Bulgaria Stefano Baldi, the Tourism Ministry said in a press release. Angelkova has presented the main events her Ministry is preparing for the upcoming Bulgarian EU Presidency.

Italy is among the main tourism markets that Bulgaria targets, the Tourism Minister said, adding that she and her team are working to attract more Italian visitors. The Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Dario Franceschini is expected to participate in the ministerial meeting next February, Angelkova noted.

Della Vedova and Angelkova have discussed joint activities between the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv and Italy's Matera, which are designated as European capitals of culture for 2019, the press release said.

According to statistical data, Italian tourists who visited Bulgaria between January and August of this year exceed 114,000, which is more than 20 per cent more compared to the same period of 2016. The increase in August alone is 21 per cent, which means that over 22,000 Italians have visited Bulgaria that month.