Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelova talked on the phone with Turkey's new Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Ersoy, the press center of the ministry announced. Turkeyis in the top 10 in the incoming tourism markets for Bulgaria, Minister Angelkova stressed and congratulated her colleague on taking up the post.

She added that over the period January-May this year, more than 264,000 Turkish citizens visited the country, recording a 9.1% increase over the same period in 2017. Last year tourist visits from Turkey were more than 636,000 and there was an increase of 12.5%. And for the last five years Turkish tourists who have visited Bulgaria have doubled, the minister informed.
 
The development of so-called The Balkan Route was one of the topics that the two Ministers discussed. They have united the view that this product will be of great benefit to attracting tourists from distant destinations in both countries.

Minister Angelkova stressed that it is crucial to have an individual service to meet the needs of visitors from remote countries such as China and Japan, adding that it will build on the tourism products offered in Bulgaria and Turkey. She recalled that its creation was proposed and supported at the EU Tourism Ministers' High Level Tourism and Economic Growth Summit, organized under the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Minister Angelkova invited her Turkish counterpart to join the second International Congress of World Civilizations and Historical Routes. It is organized under the auspices of the World Tourism Organization and will take place in the period 14-16 November in Sofia.

 
Minister Mehmet Ersoy commented that he would rely on the two neighboring countries to continue their fruitful cooperation in tourism. He added that he would support and assist in organizing any initiatives that would contribute to the successful development of the sector.