Minister Prodanov in Germany: Bulgaria is a safe country with a quality tourist product at a good price

Better known to tourists from Germany is the sea tourism. The main mission of my visit is to assure the German tourists that Bulgaria is a safe and peaceful country. Bulgaria offers a quality tourist product at a good price. My goal is to make Germany our first partner in terms of tourism revenue. This was stated by the Minister of Tourism Hristo Prodanov at a working meeting with Jana Schimke, member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the Committee on Tourism.

Minister Prodanov emphasized that Bulgaria has three tourism attachés and one of them is exactly in the capital of Germany - Berlin, as the country is an important market for Bulgaria. Among the topics of the talks were the consequences for the tourism sector after Covid and the other major challenge - the war in Ukraine. “The government and the industry have taken necessary measures to make tourists feel at ease with us,” the minister added.

At a meeting with Brigitte Goertz-Meissner, President of the German Spa Association, which manages mineral springs, the Minister stressed that Bulgaria is the second country in Europe in the presence of mineral springs. “As a minister, I have high hopes for the development of balneo tourism. In this regard, I see great potential in wellness and SPA tourism in Bulgaria. The mineral springs in Bulgaria are numerous and healing. Their benefits for the treatment of various diseases have been known since ancient times. We have regions, such as Sandanski and Strandzha, which are favourable for the treatment of lung diseases,” Minister Prodanov pointed out.  They are preferred because of their beneficial effects on post-covid diseases.

The attractiveness of the combined tourist product was discussed. “Bulgaria has the opportunity to offer such a product due to its natural resources. We will look forward to deeper relations between our associations, further said Minister Prodanov. Serious work in the field of marketing and well-targeted advertising on the German market is forthcoming.

At the meeting with Olaf Luecke, General Manager of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA Brandenburg), the best practices of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association such as the “Brandenburg Hospitality”, the seal for hotels and restaurateurs as well as the help they provide to their members were discussed. “We know that the German market is interested in sea tourism, but we can give them the opportunity to benefit from the quality of our products and services all year round,” Minister Prodanov reminded.

The meetings were also attended by Ilin Dimitrov, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism at the National Assembly, Tihomir Patarinsky, First Secretary of the Embassy and Tourist Attaché in Berlin, and Mitko Vasilev, Manager of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.