Greece – Bulgaria to Boost Tourism Cooperation on Back of Increased Interest

Greece and Bulgaria have agreed to further enhance cooperation in tourism on the back of increasing traveler interest between the two countries.

According to a recent announcement by the Bulgarian government, the Greek and Bulgarian tourism ministries will launch a joint action program for 2020-2022 which aims to further strengthen cooperation in tourism through joint initiatives in the areas of investment, employee training, and destination management.

The two ministries also agreed to team up for the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The news comes on the back of statistics released by Bulgarian authorities which found that Greece was the second top destination of choice for Bulgarian travelers for the January-November 2019 period, recording a 5.2 percent rise year on year.

Indicatively, according to Sofia news agency novinite.com, the number of trips to Greece by Bulgarian nationals in December 2019 rose by 2.8 percent to 91.3 thousand against the previous year.

According to the Bulgarian statistical authority, Greece was also the second leading source market for inbound tourism to Bulgaria in 2018. Meanwhile, in the same year, more than 1 million travelers from Bulgaria visited Greece.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair  added new routes to Bulgaria from Greece in 2018.