“Tourism is very closely linked to Sofia Airport. The success of tourism is also a success for the airport and the airport, in turn, can develop tourism. There is a potential for mutual support and cooperation in our joint activities, taking into account that the capital’s airport is the gateway to Bulgaria,” Tourism Minister Hristo Prodanov said at a meeting held today at the ministry with SOF Connect CEO Jesus Caballero.
“We have 3 key development strategies that will help tourism and the promotion of Bulgaria. Firstly, to make Sofia a place from which all major airport hubs, and from there virtually the whole world, can be accessed in one go. Second, we are developing direct destinations that are between 2 and 4 hours away from Bulgaria and third, we are actively negotiating with airlines for direct trans-oceanic flights from Sofia, including those to exotic destinations such as the Seychelles and the Maldives. For such airlines we are offering a 99% discount on airport charges”, Jesús Caballero said at the meeting.
The strategies of the ministry’s team as well as the airport’s transformation plans were also some of the topics discussed at the meeting.
The easing of visa requirements for non-EU nationals was cited as a significant priority for both Minister Prodanov’s team and SOF Connect management, as a measure that will significantly improve our country’s competitiveness.
A joint team from the ministry and SOF Connect will start working on the development of the flight network, data and information exchange and joint initiatives to promote our country as an attractive tourist destination, it became clear at the meeting.