site.btaHead of Association for Promoting and Tourism of Edirne: We Strive to Promote Thrace for Tourism

Head of the Association for Promoting and Tourism of Edirne (ETTDER), Bulent Bacioglu, said in an interview for BTA that his organization is working to boost tourism not just in Edirne, Turkiye, but also throughout the region of Thrace, which encompasses Bulgaria and Greece as well.

ETTDER's goal is to develop sustainable tourism that is beneficial to the industry and to the public alike. Bacioglu said: "As an association, we also work to promote the region as a single destination, as a Thracian destination, cooperating with municipalities and NGOs in the border regions of Bulgaria and Greece. This means that we do not only want tourists to come to Edirne, but we also want them to go to Bulgaria and Greece. Similarly, we believe that some of the tourists who come to Bulgaria should not leave without going to Edirne."

The Association was founded back in 1962 with a vision to capitalize on the region's potential to attract tourists with its cultural, historical and natural sites. After Bacioglu and his colleagues realized that cooperation programmes between Bulgaria and Turkiye benefit numerous institutions and associations in the region, they started working on bilateral partnership projects.

The first project, whose goal was to increase tourism in the Burgas and Edirne regions, was completed 13 years ago. The next project was a two-year investment project in partnership with the municipality of Harmanli and entailed the restoration of the historic Humpback Bridge in Harmanli and the implementation of 3D screenings in Edirne.

Talking about Edirne as a tourist destination, Bacioglu notes that the city is curious geographically, as it is close to the borders both with Bulgaria and Greece, and historically, as it used to be a city of key significance both in the Ottoman Empire and the Roman Empire. On the other hand, Edirne's infrastructure can stand to be improved.

The number of Bulgarian tourists has been increasing in recent years. Inflation and currency exchange rates make Turkiye an attractive shopping destination, which results in more than 2 million Bulgarians visiting Turkiye annually. Bacioglu is hopeful that importing foreign currency can contribute to improving the country's economic situation and quality of life.

Commenting on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future project implemented by BTA with the support of the European Commission, the head of the ETTDER said that people living in the Balkans have a lot of common, and such projects help to raise awareness of that. He added: "Our common future is very important. Unfortunately, we have had periods of wars and conflicts in the Balkans in the past. Today, if we look at the Balkans as a unified destination, if we think of it as a destination of peace, your project and others like it can make the local people in the region, the people with a low economic level, aim a little higher in the future."