site.btaTourism Minister Borshosh Confers with Apostolos Dzidzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh held a working meeting with EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Dzidzikostas, the Tourism Ministry said in a press release on Thursday. The meeting took place during the Destination Europe High Level Forum. The event was opened by Commissioner Dzidzikostas, as this is his first public appearance after his election to the new European Commission under the presidency of Ursula von der Leyen.

"Better positioning of Bulgaria on the global tourism market is feasible through the introduction of international standards and practices in line with the requirements of tourism demand", Borshosh said. "It is necessary to create a new permanent financial mechanism through which the Member States can address specific challenges, among which is undoubtedly accelerated implementation of innovations to increase the competitiveness of tourism at national and European level".

Apostolos Dzidzikostas said that he is starting to analyze the problems by region in order to shape the new European Union strategy for sustainable tourism development. Dzidzikostas and Borshosh agreed on the need to listen to all stakeholders in tourism, both at regional and local level. Borshosh is the first Balkan minister with whom the Commissioner is holding talks, which is key for the opportunities open to Bulgaria.

The summit brought together industry leaders, policy makers from various countries, among other tourism stakeholders. They all discussed the need for more sustainable tourism practices and how to maximize the positive impact of tourism on economic development across Europe. Bulgaria is part of a network of 33 European Tourism Commission (ETC) member countries in a long-term strategic partnership to promote Europe as a tourism destination.

Key participants in the forum's panels were Nikolina Brnjac (MEP and former Minister of Tourism of Croatia), Glenn Fogel (Booking Holdings Inc. CEO), Miguel Sanz (President of the European Tourist Board), Alessandra Priante (President of the Italian Tourist Board) and Eduardo Santander (Executive Director of ETC).

The main topic of discussion was overcoming the immediate challenges affecting the future of the European tourism industry from geopolitical instability and inflation to extreme weather events.