site.btaIsraeli Tourists Prefer Close, Friendly Destinations, and Bulgaria Is Just That, Israeli Ambassador Says

Israeli tourists prefer close and friendly destinations, and Bulgaria is exactly like that, besides being very beautiful, said Israeli ambassador to Bulgaria Levi Sfari in Varna after his meeting with the city Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. Sfari stressed that Varna is very attractive for his compatriots as a tourist centre. He expects that with the signing of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the number of people from his homeland holidaying in Bulgaria will increase, especially given that five or six airlines operate regular flights between Israel and Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and in the summer - to Burgas. The Ambassador also commented that there is a long-lasting cooperation and exchange between the two countries in the sphere of education, economy, culture, in addition to tourism. 

The Israeli side has suffered enormously over the past 15 months, the diplomat added. He recalled that in October 2023, the Palestinian group Hamas took 250 people hostage and 94 of them are still in captivity. The agreement of the last few days is only the first step that enables the release of these people, Sfari said. 

Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev added that he and Ambassador Sfari had discussed the possibility of more advertising for Varna in Israel. The talks also focused on cultural events in the seaside city, as well as the possibility for Varna to draw on Israel's experience in the field of water and sewage infrastructure. Kotsev commented that Israel has particularly great expertise in water management and finding solutions for recycling water resources, "which we can benefit from, as we have rich resources and are not particularly thrifty and responsible".