Bulgaria to Have Permanent Tourism Representative in Romania

Bulgaria will have a permanent tourism representative in Romania, Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Bucharest, Radko Vlaykov, said in a BTA interview on Thursday. "We expect our country to have an even stronger presence in Romania as far as presenting tourism opportunities in Bulgaria is concerned. We are talking about a broader and permanent representation of the Bulgarian tourism sector here in Bucharest. There will be a person responsible for tourism issues in particular," the diplomat noted. Responding to a question, Vlaykov said that Bulgaria should not consider Greece as a rival in the tourism sector.   "Bulgaria and Romania, together with Greece, can work to attract tourists from distant destinations and offer joint itineraries," Vlaykov noted. He said that he had already discussed potential cooperation with Romania’s Secretary of State with the Ministry of the Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism, Lucian-Ioan Rus. The diplomat noted that Romanian tourists have been dominating the Bulgarian market in recent years.   "This fact compels us to increase the figures and make the upward trend a permanent process. There are excellent opportunities to this end," Vlaykov said. On Thursday, he attended the opening of the spring tourism fair in Bucharest and visited the Bulgarian stand, where he met all Bulgarian representatives and participants.   Vlaykov welcomed Greece's Ambassador to Romania, Lili Grammatika, to the Bulgarian stand, and the two took a picture together against virtual images of Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria).   Speaking to BTA, the Bulgarian diplomat described this country’s presentation at the fair as remarkable, adding that multimedia products were used and different types of tourism in this country were presented. He said that Bulgaria is typically associated with the seaside, skiing, and its winter resorts. "The opportunities for cultural tourism, spa tourism, wine tourism, rural tourism, and pilgrimage tourism are presented here at the Bucharest tourism fair, through different municipalities, tour operators, and especially through the promotional items at the Tourism Ministry stand," he said.    As far as advertising tools are concerned, Vlaykov said that he is a strong believer in the power of word-of-mouth advertising. "When Romanian tourists visit Bulgaria and end up satisfied, they share it with their friends and relatives. Word-of-mouth advertising is more powerful than advertising on TV or social media. However, one does not cancel the other," he added.   "I will give you an example. Fifteen to twenty years ago, Romanian tourists did not go down any further than Balchik; then they went down to Albena, Golden Sands, Sts. Constantine and Helena, reached Varna, passed by Nesebar, Burgas, and Sozopol. In the beginning, Romanian tourists would visit Ruse on Saturdays. Then, they started travelling to Veliko Tarnovo. Now, all places in Veliko Tarnovo are booked on Saturdays and Sundays, especially when the weather is nice. It is hard to find accommodation because of Romanian tourists," Vlaykov said.   He said that they had also talked to representatives of the central Bulgarian town of Gabrovo at the fair about ways to direct tourists’ interest further south. In this regard, the diplomat suggested that tourists can combine a visit to the southwestern municipality of Kyustendil with a visit to the Rila Monastery, or Bansko, adding that Romanian tourists heading to Greece could also spend a day or two in this area.   Having served as Bulgaria's Ambassador to Romania for two years now, Vlaykov said that his top travel destinations are Brasov and Sinaia. Among the places he had visited, the diplomat listed Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, and Timisoara, adding that he was also fascinated to see the Romanian Black Sea coast.