News - Poland, Warsaw, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mariyana Nikolova opened a Bulgarian tourist office in Warsaw, Poland. With the opening of the Bulgarian tourist office, the two countries will have the opportunity to intensify their mutual and fruitful cooperation and after 30 years Bulgaria will once again return to the Polish tourist market, Minister Nikolova said during the opening. The office was opened jointly with Andrzej Gut-Mostowy, State Secretary for Tourism at the Ministry of Development of Poland. Rafal Szlachta, Chairman of the Polish Tourist Organization, was also a guest at the event.

According to Minister Nikolova, by joining forces, the two countries have the opportunity not only to strengthen the existing bilateral cooperation, but also to initiate new joint projects - the creation of a common tourist business network, as well as investment programs for the development of the tourist product, human resources and the exchange of tourist information.

The Deputy Prime Minister specified that tourism was raised by the Bulgarian government among the priority sectors of the economy. Our goal is to establish our country as a year-round destination, she was categorical. And she added that Poland is among the 10 leading markets for inbound tourism in our country. In 2019, tourist visits by Polish citizens were 420,980. From the beginning of 2020 to December 20, 2020, over 85 thousand Polish tourists have spent the night in accommodation facilities in Bulgaria, with the majority of them arriving in Bulgaria for the purpose of sea or business tourism.

From the minister's words it also became clear that Bulgaria is a well-known destination among Polish tourists for sea and summer tourism. However, the opportunities that we offer are much more and we still have joint work to promote the destination, she was categorical. And she specified that our country offers wonderful opportunities for cultural, balneo and SPA, rural, gastronomic and wine tourism, as well as centuries-old history and rich culture. Last but not least, she expressed hope that cooperation in the field of tourism between Bulgaria and Poland will contribute with many new steps to mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and to even higher achievements in the field of tourism.

I welcome the opening of the national representation of Bulgaria and express my gratitude to all those who have worked for this, said Mr. Gut-Mostowy. He also pointed out that this will contribute to increasing tourist exchange between the two countries, and added that Bulgaria is an extremely attractive market for Polish tourists.

Polish business can take advantage of the advantages of Bulgaria as an investment destination. Poland is an important partner for our country in the field of trade and investment and we are interested in activating trade cooperation and increasing the presence of Polish business and Polish tourists in our country. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mariyana Nikolova at a meeting with Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development, Labor and Technology of Poland. The two spoke within the framework of Deputy Prime Minister Nikolova's working visit to Warsaw. Nikolova extended an invitation to organize a Bulgarian-Polish economic forum online, which would help deepen the business partnership between the two countries.

The Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister stated that today's meeting provides an excellent opportunity to exchange views on cooperation in a key area for both countries - in addition to tourism, which is a powerful driver for promoting our bilateral relations, as well as in the fields of economy, trade, high technologies and defense. During the talks, the desire of both sides to sign an annex to the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism between the two countries from 1969 was confirmed.

This would give a new impetus to our bilateral cooperation, commented Deputy Prime Minister Mariyana Nikolova. “I believe that by signing the annex, we will lay the foundation for further intensification of our bilateral relations on a number of key issues,” said Nikolova. Trade with Poland is at stable levels, reaching nearly 1.5 billion euros in the first ten months of 2020, which is an increase of 0.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, the Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized.

“I believe that there is an opportunity to build on our cooperation,” said Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin. He said that Poland is preparing a new economic strategy for the country’s development and he will draw Polish investors’ attention to the opportunities offered by Bulgaria as an investment destination.

Bulgaria is one of the favorite destinations visited by Poles due to its wonderful climate, beautiful landscapes and vast cultural and historical heritage, the Polish Deputy Prime Minister also said. He explained that so far Poland has been doing well in containing the spread of COVID-19, as well as the economic consequences caused by the pandemic.