Minister of Tourism, Haim Katz, met with his Bulgarian counterpart, Minister Ilin Dimitrov, and the two signed an agreement that will strengthen the cooperation between the countries in investments in tourism, in the exchange of knowledge on business tourism, medical tourism, religion and more. Also, the agreement will encourage the increase in the number of direct flights between the countries and the travel-tech field (innovative technologies in tourism).

Israel has marked Bulgaria as a potential destination to fill the void of tourism from Russia, which has dwindled in light of the situation in the region. The new agreement is intended, among other things, to restore the positive momentum before the COVID-19 virus and promote agreements with leading wholesalers with the aim of increasing the number of tourists coming to Israel.

At the signing ceremony for the tourism agreement, Minister Katz congratulated the warm relations between the countries and called on the Bulgarians to come and visit Israel: “This year we celebrate 80 years of the courage and humanity shown by Bulgaria in rescuing Jews in the Holocaust. The agreement is another milestone in our relations. I am sure that it will contribute to increasing cooperation and strengthening our partnership. You are a wonderful people. We would like to see you more in Israel”.

Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov: “Israel is a major tourism market for Bulgaria. We will cooperate in order to increase the number of flights between the countries which will contribute to increasing the number of tourists in both directions”.