Spa and Wellness could be a niche product with the greatest potential for development of tourism in Bulgaria

We should use to the utmost degree our abundant mineral waters resources, history and traditions to develop spa and wellness tourism in the country. That said Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy Branimir Botev, who along with Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization to the United Nations His Excellency Taleb Rifai, attended the first Congress of the Bulgarian Association of Spa and Wellness Tourism. Within the congress, a specialized seminar "Thermal waters as a tourist asset. European best practices" was held. Bulgaria has been well-known with its traditions and mineral waters since the ancient times, where even the Roman emperors have preferred to stay for rest and treatment. Spa and wellness tourism could be a niche product with the greatest potential for tourism development in Bulgaria, said Deputy Minister of Botev and provided the attendees with a movie promoting Bulgaria as an yearly SPA destination, presenting 22 Bulgarian towns dated from the Roman times and established near the thermal springs – a favorite place for a rest and treatment of the Roman emperors.

Prof. Taleb Rifai stressed that the great potential of Bulgarian’s mineral water is a prerequisite for the development of thermal tourism and it is no accident that the Roman emperors have chosen these places. One of the advantages of your country is that it is not overexposed as a tourist destination."You, the Bulgarians not only enjoy and honor your traditions and culture, you share them with others."

Taleb Rifai shared his admiration for Hisar and the Rose Valley region and said that he had already become a convinced promoter of this Bulgarian region to the world tourism. The cultural tourism should be bounded to its mineral waters and best opportunity is the implementation of the major project on the basis of cultural and historical routes as Via Traiana project, which will be supported by the World Tourism Organization and by myself, said Prof. Rifai. The establishment of tourism clusters will be the proper structure to develop such a complex tourism, including several tourist products. Taleb Rifai greeted the cluster initiated at several municipalities under Via Traiana project and expressed his readiness to support the setting up of such cluster in Sofia. The first cluster of similar type related to an urban tourism, as well as the strategy thereto, was initiated at the Spanish capital Madrid throughout the support of the World Tourism Organization.

The Deputy Minister in Charge of Tourism Department Botev and the Secretary-General Taleb Rifai of WTO attended a ceremony of a rose-picking session in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria near Vedrare and visited the royal palace of King Boris III in Banya, Karlovo.

For the past 10 years in the spa industry in our country more than 1 billion euros has been invested, said the President of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism Stefan Sharlopov. 

The Vice-President of the European Spa Association (ESPA) Yurgita Kazlauskienes, announced during the congress that four out of six of this year's awards (ESPA) are for Bulgaria. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Denmark.