site.btaBulgarian Prime Minister Meets with Visiting Board President of Saudi Commission for Tourism, National Heritage

Bulgarian Prime Minister Meets with Visiting Board President of Saudi Commission for Tourism, National Heritage

Sofia, October 7 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has met with Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of the Board of Directors of the Commission for Tourism and National Heritage of Saudi Arabia, the press office of the Bulgarian Government said.

A statement issued by the press office quoted the Saudi official, who heads a delegation exploring opportunities for investment in Bulgaria, as saying at the meeting that his country has been treating tourism over the last couple of years as a priority sector with great potential for development and for forming partnerships with other countries. He praised highly Bulgaria's natural and cultural heritage, describing it as an excellent stepping stone for cooperation and for the implementation of joint projects.

Borissov said that Bulgaria is an established tourist destination. "It is a telling sign that foreign tourist arrivals have gone up by 40 per cent over the past decade to over 7 million, matching the country's population." He said that Bulgaria is very welcoming towards new opportunities for the development of the tourism sector and towards investors, in line with its drive to fully tap its potential in this strategic sector. According to Borissov, although sea and skiing destinations dominate Bulgaria's tourism industry, there is great potential to develop specialty products like spa and cultural tourism, even a combination of the two.

The Bulgarian PM also highlighted Bulgaria's strategic geographic position, sound macro-economic indicators, low tax rates and good availability of skilled workers. "Bulgaria is economically stable, pursues a strict fiscal and financial policy and that makes it an attractive investment destination."