site.btaBTA Director General: Bulgaria Should Present Tourist Routes to Attract High-End Tourists

Bulgaria should present not tourist destinations but routes to attract much better quality tourists with much greater ability to pay, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev here on Wednesday. He was speaking at the 10th Working Meeting between the tourism business and local authorities, which is on in Sandanski from November 13 to 15.

Valchev said that BTA is a partner of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents under a contract from 2021. "I would like to take the opportunity of being here with you to suggest that we fill this partnership with even more content, namely to think about systematically presenting news about tourist routes from different destinations in Bulgaria and the Balkans, as well as different topics that can fill with content a longer stay at a destination in Bulgaria," Valchev said.

"If Bulgaria wants to attract tourists with greater interest, with greater ability to pay, they themselves should become an advertisement of Bulgaria by promoting it by word of mouth, we have the desire for this stated in the document. There is constant talk of cultural tourism, of year-round tourism. The aim of BTA is to promote the opportunities in Bulgaria, and I make a proposal to you that together with your association, together with the local authorities, we think about how we can provide tourist routes not only in our country but also in neighboring countries," said Valchev. In his words, this kind of advertising is much easier, much more interesting and a much more effective method of attracting tourists. The BTA Director General stressed the importance of including history as an element that is specific to different tourist destinations.

"In Bulgaria we can offer many interesting and different tourist routes", Valchev went on to say. He stressed that BTA could be very useful if mutual cooperation in the field of tourism is expanded. He pointed out the undeniable advantages of the media that can help promote routes and destinations. "BTA is used by all media. It is the only media outlet that has a permanent English-language feed," Valchev said, adding that this fact is an exceptional opportunity to attract tourists from abroad.

The BTA Director General noted that the media works with specific names when it comes to information, and the fact that the media maintains the largest regional network in Bulgaria expands the opportunities for interaction. "When you give us information about news about tourist routes, we can cover them very quickly, easily both for Bulgaria and abroad, including in English," Valchev explained. BTA is trying to rebuild its correspondent network abroad.

"BTA became the headquarters and secretary general of the Association of News Agencies. We maintain the website of this association, which provides opportunities for talks, for promotion of various events that become a reason for a tourist to come to Bulgaria," Valchev said. "We will gain much more as a Balkan destination. We gain a lot more as destination Bulgaria than by trying to sell only destination Sandanski, for example," he argued.

"We have a network under contract with national agencies in 48 countries. Under these treaties we help each other. This is also an opportunity to emphasise interesting daily messages that are tailored to the respective tourism markets," he said, explaining that this means an opportunity to present tourism opportunities in depth as long as there is information to tell.

Valchev recalled that BTA has restored the publication of its LIK magazine for literature, art and culture. Through the magazine he sees another opportunity to promote various topics related to tourism in Bulgaria.

He called for joint promotion with BTA and partners from all over the Balkan Peninsula. "Let's keep trying to show the experience we have built on," he said.