The Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev and the Ambassador of Germany to Bulgaria Irene Maria Plank held a meeting aimed at strengthening the partnership in tourism between the two countries. The conversation, which also featured representatives from key German companies in the tourism and aviation sectors, including Frank Kwante, CEO of Fraport, Welken Bellmann of SunExpress and Moritz Seiler, Head of Economic Affairs at the German Embassy, outlined strategic opportunities for joint development. The main topics of the discussion included increasing the number of German tourists in Bulgaria and expanding marketing efforts to promote the Bulgarian Black Sea coast on the German market.
Minister Evtim Miloshev emphasized the leading role of Germany as Bulgaria's first foreign trade partner and emphasized the importance of the long-standing emotional connection that German tourists have with the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. He assured that the Ministry of Tourism is committed to targeted actions to restore and increase the number of German tourists. “Our mission is to implement effective advertising of Bulgaria as a preferred destination and to return German tourists to our country to the levels they deserve to be at,” said the minister.
Ambassador Irene Maria Plank expressed her admiration for the variety of tourist opportunities in Bulgaria and emphasized that our country has many opportunities. Mountains, spa tourism and rich culinary traditions represent a huge potential for attracting German tourists. She stated that the cooperation in the field of tourism between Bulgaria and Germany is a real success, despite the global challenges.
Minister Miloshev also emphasized the advantages of Bulgaria as a safe and peaceful tourist destination that offers many different forms of tourism. “With cultural tourism and the wealth of thermal springs and spa resorts, we have a unique opportunity to attract tourists in the months of May and September as well”, he added.
Welken Belman, representative of SunExpress, commented on the importance of strategic partnerships for the development of the German-speaking market and announced that together with Electra Airways, 200,000 seats have been secured for flights to Bulgaria for the summer season in 2025. “Our agreement with Electra Airways, which also has the great support of Fraport, is for three years, and in the first year we plan two flights to your Black Sea airports, in the second four, and in the third seven. "We see the exceptional opportunity that your country provides and we are ready to re-establish Bulgaria as a leading destination for German tourists," said Bellman.
Minister Miloshev emphasized the importance of these efforts and expressed his readiness to provide support for the implementation of projects that will contribute to a greater flow of German tourists to Bulgaria. He pointed out that investments in marketing, infrastructure and security are the main priorities that will allow Bulgarian tourism to achieve long-term growth and attract more and more German tourists in the coming years.