site.btaMinister Discusses Winter Tourism in Bulgaria with Czech Representatives

November 18 (BTA) - Tourism Minister Stela Baltova had a
working meeting with representatives of the Czech Tour Operators
 Association led by its CEO Michal Weber, Baltova's ministry
reported on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by Deputy
Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva.

Baltova said Czechia is among the leading inbound tourism
markets for Bulgaria. Some 34,000 holiday-makers from the
Central European country visited Bulgaria in the summer of 2020,
 and 88,000 came in the summer of 2021, she said.

The Minister noted that her country boasts the best winter
resorts in the Balkans, and encouraged Czech tourists to come
and see for themselves. She added that Bulgaria also offers
other types of tourism such as cultural, historical, SPA,
wellness, wine and food tourism. She singled out the
possibilities for health tourism, including balneotherapy,
climate therapy and post-COVID recovery, golf and other tourist
packages. Baltova underlined the possibility to combine a ski
holiday with SPA, cultural and historical tourism.

The minister assured the Czech tour operators that Bulgaria is
taking all necessary precautions against COVID. She stressed
that local COVID vaccination levels are going up.

The guests raised questions about advertising Bulgaria on the
Czech market, free movement and tourist site accessibility. They
 asked for more information from the Tourism Ministry about
summer 2022. The sides discussed Bulgarian marketing initiatives
 for the Czech market and measures to support the tourist
business, including emergency legislation.

Emergency legislation may target the reinstatement of an aid
scheme under which tour operators received 35 euro for every
occupied seat on charter flights to Bulgaria. The scheme was
terminated on September 16 after Bulgaria revised its state
budget for 2021. As the scheme was redesigned, it requires a new
 procedure for notification to the European Commission. DD/VE

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