On 21.02.2024 in the city of Burgas was held a National Forum for Air-Transport Connectivity and Tourism under the title “Destination Bulgaria – increasingly close, sought after and accessible – challenges and opportunities”.
Organisers for the third consecutive year were Rafael-Info Association, Culture, Tourism and the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association (BAIA) with the support of Burgas Municipality, Burgas Airport and Port Burgas.
The official opening of the forum was made by Mr. Todor Ivandjikov, Chairman of BAIA. The welcoming speeches were delivered by Mrs. Anna Natova-Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Mrs. Anelia Marinova-Director of CAA, Mr. Plamen Yanev-District Governor of Burgas, Mr. Ilin Dimitrov-Advisor to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Manol Todorov-Deputy Mayor of Sports and Tourism of Burgas Municipality, Mrs. Mariela Georgieva-Director of Programs and Project Management of the Ministry of Tourism.
This is the first time that an event of this type has been so intense and with highly emotional debates, which is a clear sign of the high importance of the topics and the need to find workable solutions for all discussed. It is only in the process of dialogue, without unnecessary emotions and denial of objective factors, that a solution can be found that benefits everyone.
The present state, regional and municipal structures expressed their desire for dialogue with the business and confirmed their support for the creation of thematic working groups to prepare their opinions and proposals for solving the problems concerned. The groups will be set up immediately to be able to work actively before the upcoming tourist season.
At a working meeting of Mr. Todor Ivandjikov before the start of the forum with Mr. Manol Todorov – Deputy Mayor of Sports and Tourism in Burgas Municipality, it was decided that representatives of municipal structures will participate in all upcoming forums, conferences, exhibitions and trade negotiations, to which will be invited “Fraport Twin Star Airport Management” – the joint stock company concessionaire of our seaside airports in Varna and Burgas. to be able to negotiate directly with the air carriers the possibilities and conditions for flights to become year-round, as well as new destinations. Fraport is open to cooperation and believes that in this way the interests related to aviation connectivity of both Burgas Municipality and the region can be discussed directly and the best solutions can be reached.
In the context of the topic Mr. Doichin Angelov, Exec. Director of Plovdiv Airport presented to all his colleagues and guests an extremely interesting and successful marketing and management solution for the development of airports, which has already been implemented by Plovdiv Airport and is yielding results with a serious prospect for sustainability and development.
During the second panel, Ms. Mariela Georgieva, Directorate of Programmes and Project Management at the Ministry of Tourism, announced other good news – another 6 million BGN have been secured and will soon be provided by the Ministry beyond the already agreed for marketing and advertising of the tourism sector, which will support it just before the season. Additional funds are also being negotiated for marketing and advertising for travel agencies, which is also a serious support factor.
Mr. Manol Todorov, Deputy Mayor of Sports and Tourism of Burgas Municipality spoke about the opportunities for tourism development in the region, related to the holding of interesting formats of sports events, which can be an added product to engage the business for at least 10 months of the year.
Ms. Anelia Marinova presented statistics on the intensity of flights in the Black Sea region and in particular from and to Burgas, and the possibilities for maintaining the year-round flow were discussed. In relation to this debate, it was reaffirmed as a good opportunity and a wise decision for representatives of the Municipality of Burgas to attend the negotiations with the air carriers.
It was discussed to prepare a solution for organizing shuttles to and from Burgas Airport, a problem that has not been solved yet.
Eng. Diyan Dimov, Executive Director of Port of Burgas EAD, presented the successfully held events last year, emphasizing the importance of the 63rd General Assembly of MED Cruise – Mediterranean Cruise Ports Association, which was attended by over 300 representatives of the largest cruise companies in the world. According to him, Burgas has already proven to be the best port in the region and has the best terminals.
This type of forum, so intense and so emotionally debated is rarely held, which again gives hope that the state and business are looking for dialogue and solutions so that we can continue our development in the best way for the district and the region. Hopefully the next format will give us an opportunity to celebrate the successes that have resulted from the decisions made and make the meetings and dialogue even more fruitful.
