Bulgaria hosted International Tourism Conference

A global event dedicated to world civilizations and contemporary tourism took place on 29 and 30 November in Bulgaria's capital Sofia. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with the UN World Tourism Organization. The event was among the most important initiatives in the calendar of the UN World Tourism Organization this year.  

Opportunities for tourism in Bulgaria and figures illustrating the richness of the country's cultural heritage were unveiled by Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova. Over 40 000 immovable and 7 million movable cultural artifacts and monuments from four historic periods are included in the national heritage of Bulgaria.

But at a conference preceding the event, the UN World Tourism Organization's head Taleb Rifai noted the country needs much more to make its diverse cultural history known to a wider global audience. Everyone has heard of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but little does the world know about the civilizations that inhabited the Bulgarian lands in the past, he is heard saying. Bulgaria should place a stronger emphasis on Thracians and wine in its promotion abroad, he added. 

Heritage of other civilizations, including the culture of Mesopotamia, was presented at the forum  by the Iraqi Culture Minister Faryad Rawandouzi. The renowned Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass deliverеd a report on the "creative regeneration of the ancient Egyptian civilization" during the event.

Officials and experts from more than a dozen other countries took part in the conference - including Jordan, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Malta, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Spain. Among the Bulgarian participants were representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Science and of some of the most famous museums in Bulgaria.

According to data of the UN World Tourism Organization, last year 1.2 billion tourists travelled worldwide, and 40% were interested in cultural tourism.