site.btaTourism Minister Dimitrov Pays Working Visit to Turkiye 

Caretaker Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov is paying a working visit to Turkiye until November 23, his Ministry reported here Saturday. 

Dimitrov was invited by one of the leading Turkish universities to participate in a meeting of the Black Sea association of universities and influential local NGOs in the tourism sector. Dimitrov will discuss cooperation in the field of education under the Erasmus+ Programme and the opportunities for continuing beneficial partnership contacts, as well as joint future projects in tourism and education. 

During his visit, Minister Dimitrov is scheduled to visit Ankara and Istanbul and meet with Bulgaria’s Ambassador in Turkey, Angel Cholakov, Bulgaria’s Consul General in Istanbul Vassil Velchev, and Borisov Dimitrov, Consul General in Edirne. 

The main topic which Dimitrov will discuss with the Bulgarian diplomats in Turkiye is the consular services’ readiness to issue visas and the planned opening of the position of Bulgaria’s tourism attache in Istanbul. The tourism attache’s main role will be to activate bilateral business contacts and relations between the two countries in the field of tourism, as well as to attract more tourists. 

Turkiye is Bulgaria’s priority partner in the tourism sector, which is defining for the Tourism Ministry’s active work on the Turkish tourism market. Turkiye is in the top three markets for incoming tourism and the number one market for outgoing tourism. According to statistics, some 360,000 Turkish tourists visited Bulgaria in 2022, which is 59% more compared to 2020. Over 1.4 million Bulgarian tourists have visited Turkiye last year and this number is expected to remain unchanged this year. 

Last week, Minister Dimitrov conferred in London with Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy at the World Travel Market 2022. The two discussed the activation of cooperation between the two countries in the tourism sector, at the institutional level and between business representatives.