DAYS of Bulgaria were held within the framework of the 34th international leisure time and tourism exhibition in Munich, southern Germany.
This year Bulgaria was represented for the first time at the forum. Deputy Economy Minister Dimiter Hadjinikolov and Norbert Bergmann, Director of the Munich Fair, opened the Days of Bulgaria within the framework of the Caravan-Yacht-Tourist Market international exhibition in Munich. Bergmann said that a more comprehensive presentation of Bulgaria would be made in view of its upcoming accession to the EU.
The fair, which featured three aspects, camping, boating and international travel, was held from February 15 to 23. The fair provided individual exhibition space and free stands for the Bulgarian exhibitors seeking to establish business contacts with counterparts from different countries. The exhibition, organised by Munich Trade Fairs North America Corp., was held over an area of 74,322 sq m in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.
At the forum, Hadjinikolov gave a presentation on Bulgaria's policy in the field of tourism and Bulgaria's prospects as a tourist destination.
Bulgaria had potential in the fields of holiday making, hunting, angling, cultural and wine tours, said Hadjinikolov.
He met Hans Schnitzler, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of Bavaria, and Bayern Tourismus Marketing representative Richard Adam.
The management of Munich Fair granted Bulgaria a 300 sq m exhibition area free of charge, where Bulgarian foods were displayed at 10 stalls. The stalls were arranged in the form of a Bulgarian house and represented the typical atmosphere of a Bulgarian village.
The companies which took part in the exhibition included Devin, Domaine Boyar, Bulgarfrukt, Rosbio, Pan Commercial, BeBuNetConsult GmbH and Sunline Trading.
"Bulgaria is already a primary tourist target for many Germans," Bergmann said. According to Economy Ministry data, in 2002 Bulgaria was visited by 480 460 German tourists, which was 28.35 per cent more than the previous year. "Expectations about the 2003 summer season are also optimistic," according to the Economy Ministry.
The Bulgarian Association of Alternative Tourism (BAAT) has been working on new programmes on rural, botanical, ornithological and green tourism as well as wine tours.
"Last year this country's revenues from alterative tourism for 2002 equalled $400 000. Bulgaria loses 25 000 to 30 000 tourists annually due to the bad condition of its roads and camping-sites," said Manol Dimitrov, representative of the Albena resort at the forum.
Eight per cent of beds in the three and four-star hotels of the Albena, Sunny Beach and Golden Sands resorts were already booked by the end of October 2002. Currently, Bulgaria is among the fastest developing tourist markets along with Croatia and Turkey. Apart from camping tourism, Bulgaria has untapped potentials to develop spa centres and thus extend the active tourist season. The guests of the tour by BAAT showed interest in tours, including Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo, Bansko and Nessebar, the organisers said. Germany's two biggest alternative travel agencies, Wikinger and Studiosus, have included Bulgaria in their catalogues. Studiosus offers a two-week tour of Bulgaria that costs $1600.
This year Bulgaria was represented for the first time at the forum. Deputy Economy Minister Dimiter Hadjinikolov and Norbert Bergmann, Director of the Munich Fair, opened the Days of Bulgaria within the framework of the Caravan-Yacht-Tourist Market international exhibition in Munich. Bergmann said that a more comprehensive presentation of Bulgaria would be made in view of its upcoming accession to the EU.
The fair, which featured three aspects, camping, boating and international travel, was held from February 15 to 23. The fair provided individual exhibition space and free stands for the Bulgarian exhibitors seeking to establish business contacts with counterparts from different countries. The exhibition, organised by Munich Trade Fairs North America Corp., was held over an area of 74,322 sq m in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.
At the forum, Hadjinikolov gave a presentation on Bulgaria's policy in the field of tourism and Bulgaria's prospects as a tourist destination.
Bulgaria had potential in the fields of holiday making, hunting, angling, cultural and wine tours, said Hadjinikolov.
He met Hans Schnitzler, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of Bavaria, and Bayern Tourismus Marketing representative Richard Adam.
The management of Munich Fair granted Bulgaria a 300 sq m exhibition area free of charge, where Bulgarian foods were displayed at 10 stalls. The stalls were arranged in the form of a Bulgarian house and represented the typical atmosphere of a Bulgarian village.
The companies which took part in the exhibition included Devin, Domaine Boyar, Bulgarfrukt, Rosbio, Pan Commercial, BeBuNetConsult GmbH and Sunline Trading.
"Bulgaria is already a primary tourist target for many Germans," Bergmann said. According to Economy Ministry data, in 2002 Bulgaria was visited by 480 460 German tourists, which was 28.35 per cent more than the previous year. "Expectations about the 2003 summer season are also optimistic," according to the Economy Ministry.
The Bulgarian Association of Alternative Tourism (BAAT) has been working on new programmes on rural, botanical, ornithological and green tourism as well as wine tours.
"Last year this country's revenues from alterative tourism for 2002 equalled $400 000. Bulgaria loses 25 000 to 30 000 tourists annually due to the bad condition of its roads and camping-sites," said Manol Dimitrov, representative of the Albena resort at the forum.
Eight per cent of beds in the three and four-star hotels of the Albena, Sunny Beach and Golden Sands resorts were already booked by the end of October 2002. Currently, Bulgaria is among the fastest developing tourist markets along with Croatia and Turkey. Apart from camping tourism, Bulgaria has untapped potentials to develop spa centres and thus extend the active tourist season. The guests of the tour by BAAT showed interest in tours, including Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo, Bansko and Nessebar, the organisers said. Germany's two biggest alternative travel agencies, Wikinger and Studiosus, have included Bulgaria in their catalogues. Studiosus offers a two-week tour of Bulgaria that costs $1600.
