Bulgaria is often regarded as a "terra incognita" in Europe. At present, itseems to have a less attractive tourist image than during socialism. There is no advertising of the Bulgarian tourism product. Since Bulgaria's EU accession in 2007 until today the share of European tourists decreasesevery year. Noteverybody abroad is able to recognize Bulgaria as a European destination as some people are unaware that we are part of the European Union. This was announced at a press conference of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA).

In an effort to restore the country's positive tourist image and attract the interest of tour operators from around the world to the tourist services offered in Bulgaria and other Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Montenegro and Croatia), members of the Association established the consortium "Go2Balkans" in 2014 and the same year they held the first tourism business forum themed "The Balkans - Nature, History, Culture."

"The event in 2014 went much better than we expected and caused very serious interest in neighboring countries”, explains Bayko Baykov, chairman of ABTTA. “It is a step towards creating a positive image of the Bulgarian tourism industry and of those 10 countries that have claims to be the sixth most active tourist region in the world in the eyes of their potential partners from more distant European and other destinations. The consortium was not accidentally named "Go2Balkans". The vast majority of the interest in our region is linked to the overall tourist heritage of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. This combined interest in the cultural heritage of this area naturally suggests the involvement of partners from Bulgaria's neighboring countries."

Professionally, such meetings of colleagues from the tourism industry are extremely important because they generate information and opportunities for cooperation. At the forum various communities and regions present to tour operators their local natural, cultural and historical landmarks. The providers of tourist services establish direct contact with tour operators and travel agents.

"The Go2BalkansForum is one of the possible tools for overcoming the crisis that has hit Bulgarian tourism”,says Daniela Stoeva, member of ABTTA. “While there is no clear concept of how we want to position ourselves in international markets, there is no way to get out of the situation in which Bulgaria's tourist sector now finds itself. Besides, the forum allows us to get up to date with what our neighboring countries are doing - to get an idea of what their tourist product looks like and what could be ultimately our overall product."

On November 25, Inter Expo Center Sofia will host the second edition of the Go2Balkans forum. Participants will present their tourism products in the form of brochures and videos,popular routes, landmarks, historical and cultural sights. So far, applications for participation have been submitted by 60 companies with more than 80 participants from countries including Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Great Britain, Italy, Morocco and Jordan.

"Quite by accident the date November 25 when Inter Expo Center will host the second Go2Balkans forum coincides with the day of the Bulgarian saint Kliment Ohridski, and we hope to receive the protection from this spiritual patron of the Bulgarian nation”, said in conclusion Bayko Baykov, chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents.

The application form for the forum can be found at

English: Rossitsa Petcova