Euronews: Bulgaria, an Emerging Tourist Destination

Old streets, young spirit

Plovdiv, in Bulgaria, is one of the two European Capitals of Culture for 2019. (Matera, Italy, is the second).

How did Plovdiv win this distinction? Simply put, it is because Bulgaria is one of the fastest- rising tourist destinations in Europe.

It is Bulgaria's second-largest city and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Europe, established around the 6th century BC.

Today it is a modern, vibrant city. It serves as the administrative, academic, economic, commercial and transportation centre of the south-central region of Bulgaria.

"The city of Plovdiv has two main goals," says Deputy Mayor Stefan Stoyanov. "To be much more popular and attractive, especially to the European audience and to make the city more visible. On the other hand, we want to double the number of tourists. We expect to have around two million visitors in 2019.

"We have great events. Music festivals, an opera festival. Plovdiv is one of the hot spots that someone can visit. It's not too crowdy but, on the other hand, the city has half a million people. It's a very dynamic city."

The old town is a must-see in Plovdiv. You can walk around and admire the wonderful houses which date back to the Renaissance period.

Today, one of these houses hosts the Ethnographical Museum of the city.

The old town of Plovdiv has been on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2004.

Tour guide Rumyana Titeryakova says: "Plovdiv is a unique city. It has a long history, an amazing culture and a very beautiful old town. It also has many nice restaurants and very good sports facilities. It's an old city with a young spirit."

The old town hosts many artists and craftsmen and women. The aim is to familiarise...

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