site.btaMinister Dimitrov Attends Global Conference on Wine Tourism

A Bulgarian delegation led by caretaker Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov participated in the 6th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism in Alba, Italy, from September 19 to 21, the Tourism Ministry in Sofia reported on Thursday.

Addressing a High Level Panel on the Future of Wine Tourism, Dimitrov expressed Bulgaria's willingness to host one of the next global conferences on wine tourism. He presented his vision on the development of wine tourism in Bulgaria to the international audience, which included experts and high-ranking politicians from leading wine tourism destinations such as Italy, Portugal, Georgia, San Marino, Moldova and Greece.

He said: "Bulgaria is in a unique position. Each of the countries participating in the current panel has its advantages, but we have almost everything in one place: we have a sea, beautiful mountains, good wine and many other wonderful things which can attract many tourists."

Speakers in all discussions at the conference highlighted the sustainable development of tourism, innovation and digitization, and the interrelation between wine tourism and the other segments of the hospitality industry. There were also wine tasting events.

Tourism Minister Dimitrov had a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 6th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism.

He and his Italian counterpart Massimo Garavaglia discussed the importance of the tourist industry for the two countries' economies. Italy is Bulgaria's third most important trading partner in the EU and an important inbound tourism market. Over 250,000 Italians visited Bulgaria annually before the coronavirus pandemic, and 60,000 came in the first half of 2022, Dimitrov said. He suggested that the two countries could work together to deal with staff shortages in the sector. He also called for using the potential of the EU Erasmus+ Programme to boost the exchange of university students.

According to Dimitrov, Bulgaria has Europe's third-largest number of cultural and archaeological artifacts after Italy and Greece, and can use Italy's rich experience in developing cultural tourism. He expressed his ministry's readiness to work with colleagues in the Apennine country on joint projects and initiatives within formats of the European Commission, the World Tourism Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among others.

Garavaglia said Italy and Bulgaria can be advertised together on distant markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia, "because, to them, we are Europe". The Italian Tourism Minister noted that private and public institutions, including the Italian National Tourist Board, can cooperate with Bulgarian organizations.

He asked Bulgaria to support Italy's bid to host Expo 2030.

Dimitrov and Serbia's Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Tatjana Matic considered an invigoration of bilateral tourism cooperation, particularly in a cross-border format. They expressed their shared satisfaction with the excellent interaction between Sofia and Belgrade.

Earlier, Matic had a separate session with Bulgarian Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva, who was on the Bulgarian delegation to the Global Conference. Modeva said it is important for the two neighbours to keep working under the motto, "The Balkans: A Safe Travel Destination". She stressed that Serbia is among the 10 most important inbound tourism markets for Bulgaria.

Matic invited Bulgaria to join wine tour packages with Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Romania.

Dimitrov also met separately with senior government officials from Greece, Portugal, Georgia, San Marino and Moldova. Some of them accepted his invitation to attend a tourism digitization conference in Bulgaria in late October.

In a special televised interview in Italy, the Bulgarian Tourism Minister said Bulgaria has a longstanding wine-making tradition, but the fact comes as a surprise to many, which is why it will take a lot more work to promote Bulgarian wine tourism and give it the place it deserves.