site.btaTourism Minister Dimitrov Sees Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan as Very Promising Markets

Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov discussed a variety of opportunities to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan during his working visit to the two countries, he wrote in a Facebook post upon his return Thursday. The two countries with a total population of over 55 million and a wonderful attitude to Bulgaria are exceedingly promising markets, he added.

In the course of his visit, Dimitrov had over ten meetings focused on transport, tourism and investments in the field. In particular, he conferred with the Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sport, Dauren Abayev, expected in Bulgaria in June for the signing of a memorandum.

In another development, Dimitrov had a meeting with representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan’s National Export and Investment Agency Kazakh Invest, with whom he discussed the organizing of a B2B forum in April.

Then again, conferring with Kazakh tour operators on the subject of the ‘vacuum’ on the tourist market because of the lack of Russian and Ukrainian tourists, 15 operators requested a webinar with Bulgarian companies which will be held in February.

Dimitrov also met with the management of Air Astana and a new carrier, Panorama Airways, which expressed the desire to meet representatives of the Bulgarian Transport Ministry and launch direct flights to Bulgaria.

In Uzbekistan, Dimitrov conferred with the head of the Agency for the Development of Viticulture and Wine, which is also responsible for the country’s wine tourism. In December last year they visited several Bulgarian wineries and insisted on a B2B online seminar, Dimitrov explained, adding that one such will be held in March.

Dimitrov also had a joint meeting with Uzbek tour operators from Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand, as well as with Asia Lux – a company with a charter programme to Bulgaria, which wants to expand that. He underscored that Asia Lux sends some 170,000 tourists to Europe a year.