HOLIDAY & SPA opens the season of tourist events in Bulgaria for 2023
The 39th edition of the International Tourist Fair HOLIDAY & SPA opens on February 15 in Inter Expo Center – Sofia. Over 250 exhibitors from 15 countries gather at the most prestigious tourist forum in our country. It is organized by Prim Expo, under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria and in partnership with Urbo Studio.
Under the motto „Dynamics and trust – the best of the tourism industry!“ from February 15 to 17, tourism companies, hotels and resort complexes, destination management organizations, local authorities from tourist regions, diplomatic missions from Algeria, Bulgaria, Greece, Dubai (OAE), India, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Mauritius, Maldives, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey will meet in Sofia. The number of participants is twice as large as in 2022, which is a sure indicator that the tourism business has successfully overcome the pandemic crisis and is increasingly confidently dealing with the series of crises that have affected the sector globally.
The organizers noted increased interest in the International Fair from companies representing industries accompanying the tourism sector and finding in tourism a potential for the development of peripheral employment and new technologies – they form 10% of the exhibitor profile.
30% of the participants this year are Bulgarian and foreign tour operators and agents, 40% are the representatives of various destinations, including national tourist organizations, tourist regions and municipalities. 12 percent of the exhibitors represent the hotel business, and approximately 6% of companies – related industries.
The National Tourist Board of Algeria, companies from Lithuania, Mauritius, the Maldives and Peru are celebrating a premiere in this year’s edition of the International Fair HOLIDAY & SPA.
The participation this year of specialized publications and authors related to travel and tourism issues is significant. A special discussion on February 16 is dedicated to „THE CAUSE OF GOOD JOURNALISM IN TOURISM“. It will be attended by journalists, bloggers, PR specialists, tourism experts, representatives of institutions, who will discuss practical problems in the presentation of destinations, mistakes and good hits in national and regional advertising, the power of information and the border between virtual travel and experienced travel.
Two of the discussions within the conference program are dedicated to visual identity for the recognition of destinations. On February 16, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., the discussion for professionals „Tourist Branding of Destinations“ will be held, which brings together specialists from the field of tourism, image makers and visual artists. Later in the day, the experts will have the opportunity to give their assessment of the developed brand of Bulgaria and the brands of the nine tourist regions in our country.
Contemporary challenges facing the tourism industry are the focus of the forum organized within the framework of HOLIDAY & SPA by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria from 14:00 on 16.02.2023. The policies of the EC for sustainable development impose a green approach in all sectors and levels of management. How realistic are the expectations of the tourism sector’s contribution to reducing the carbon footprint, what problems are faced by the green transition of tourism industry enterprises and how Bulgarian companies can approach traditional problems in a new way, using the experience of other countries, will be discussed by representatives of the institutions and business during the conference.
On February 15, 2023 /Wednesday/ at 10:00 a.m. Dr. Ilin Dimitrov, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria will open the International Tourist Fair HOLIDAY & SPA.
A special greeting to the guests and participants will be given by the dancers from the „Malinarka“ ensemble and the „Dance for Health“ folklore club from the town of Berkovitsa.
