Close to 13 percent of Bulgaria’s GDP is generated by tourism and accompanying sectors. That is why no chance of promoting the country in the world should be missed. Minka Ivanova and Victor Dimchev know this well. They have been investing time, effort and money in the idea of making the country more identifiable and popularizing it as a tourist destination.

The team from the Bulgarian Travel TV - a specialized travel, adventure and tourism TV channel - are at the core of a new international HD non-profit TV channel that is to become this country’s new calling card.

Here is more from its administrative director Minka Ivanova:

“The TV channel is now a fact and we hope it will help promote Bulgaria among Bulgarians living abroad but also among a broader audience, as it offers brief impressions on various subjects. For example – rivers, the sea, wildlife. Everything that makes Bulgaria what it is, all values the country has treasured through the ages and treasures still. We chose to make impressions the building blocks of this channel, because they comprise pictures and sounds, with views of Bulgaria accompanied by appropriate music. We think this is a good way to reach out to different nationalities.”

As of the beginning of 2016 the international TV channel will be available in Europe and Latin America. The team’s ambition is to create over 1,000 new impressions over the next two years, shot at Bulgaria’s most beautiful locations in all seasons. Traditions, arts and crafts, local cuisine, the history and culture of Bulgaria will reveal the beauty of the country to millions, and Bulgaria will profit by this.

“Our aim is for the TV channel to develop into a catalogue of everything Bulgaria has to offer. So, we started filming different buildings, events, beauty spots and sites but also fascinating rituals, traditions, interesting people", producer Victor Dimchev explains. "This is a way to try and present Bulgaria and the people that make the country what it is. Our endeavor is to dedicate some TV space to beauty, without cheap advertising.”

Able and positive-minded people are vital to the country’s image, because their talent makes them ambassadors of Bulgarian culture and art around the world and when foreigners hear their names spoken they think of Bulgaria. In this sense, the TV series “Great Bulgarians” is a patriotic endeavor, an idea that merits respect and support.

“There is a place in this world where the spring mists embrace the green summits of the mountains and in the valleys below, forgotten kings lie in their eternal slumbers. A place where the sun shines on the crumbling ruins of fallen empires and the untamed forests are still whispering of the footfall of mighty warriors. A place that shall enchant and surprise you, a place to know and rediscover day after day, one step at a time. This is Bulgaria.”

The text is from the Travel TV trailer of the “This is Bulgaria” series. The content of the documentaries and the impressions created by the team of the new HD channel is an illustration of how the positive image of Bulgaria can be moulded. The channel is available here

English version: Milena Daynova