The Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Miroslav Borshosh, held a meeting with representatives of the leading air carrier Israir Airlines, part of the IDB Tourism Group - the largest provider of international tourism services based in Israel.
During the meeting, the possibilities for expanding the partnership with the airline and promoting travel from Israel to Bulgaria were discussed. Minister Borshosh emphasized the efforts of the state and the Ministry of Tourism to impose a positive image of our country as a hospitable and safe destination in target markets. This image is a key factor for the recovery and sustainable growth of the Israeli market after the temporary decline as a result of the unstable situation in the Middle East region.
Israir Airlines stated its readiness and desire to deepen bilateral cooperation, as evidenced by the company's existing charter flights to Varna, aimed at visitors interested in gambling, cultural and holiday tourism.
Israir carries over one million passengers annually, including to key airports such as Ben Gurion Airport (Tel Aviv), Ramon Airport and Haifa Airport, which are also the company's main bases.
Minister Miroslav Borshosh noted that Israel remains a strategic market for Bulgarian tourism. For the period January - May 2025 alone, over 71,000 registrations of Israeli tourists in accommodation facilities were recorded - an increase of over 76% compared to the same period in 2024. and almost 33% compared to 2019. Tourists from this market are mainly interested in the cities of Sofia, Varna, Bansko, Nessebar, Samokov and Velingrad.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides emphasized their readiness to work together to attract an even larger number of Israeli tourists, including through marketing campaigns, new routes and facilitated flight connections that would meet the growing demand and diverse interests of tourists traveling from Israel to Bulgaria.