Nikolina Angelkova

Bulgarian tourism continued its sustainable development in 2019 despite the difficulties, strong international competition and the bankruptcy of the Thomas Cook tour operator, Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova said at a meeting of the Council of Ministers today, the press office of her ministry said.

Bulgaria had earned over EUR 3.4 billion in revenues from international tourism in the period January-October 2019, according to the data of the Bulgarian National Bank released today, said the press office of the Ministry of Tourism. The results show a decrease of only 0.3% compared to the same period of the record 2018.

Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova held a working meeting with the Minister of Tourism of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat. The two spoke during Minister Angelkova's working visit to Cairo, the government press service said.

Notwithstanding the challenges of the difficult 2019, we expect good results also in the winter season thanks to our joint efforts.

There are 200 affected people of the announced bankruptcy of Astral Holidays. These people should contact the tour operator's insurer - Unica

The total amount which needs to be covered from the insurer is BGN 350 thousand, Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova together with representatives of Astral Holidays and the insurance company Unica revealed at a briefing.

Only 240 tourists who have arrived in Bulgaria through the bankrupt tourist operator "Thomas Cook" have stayed in the resorts "Golden Sands" and "Sunny Beach". This was stated by the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova.

She added that in the coming days they will also leave for their places of origin. Angelkova reminded that their costs were borne by the respective insurers.

The decline in summer tourism this year is below the percent, said the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova. As for the consequences of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy, she said that about 2500 - 3000 clients of the company are still in our country, but in days they will be transported to their homeland.

HRH Princess Dana Firas, Princess of Jordan, will be on a working visit to Bulgaria next week at the invitation of Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova. This was reported by the department.

In connection with the announcement of the bankruptcy of the Thomas Cook tour operator subsidiaries, the Ministry of Tourism has created an expert group for emergency work and a 24-hour hotline. This was announced at an extraordinary press conference by the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova, quoted by the BNR.

Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova announced during parliamentary scrutiny that for a total of 143 managed beaches, the average price for a stay under an umbrella is about BGN 6.50 and for a sunbed - about BGN 5.60.