(ANSA) – SOFIA, 27 AGO – The Ambassador of Italy in Sofia, Marcello Apicella, met with the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Miroslav Borshosh, to explore opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector, a potential driver for the growth of an area as rich in history, nature, food and wine excellence and traditions as Bulgaria.
Minister Borshosh recalled his recent participation, at the invitation of Italian Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè, in the I Italy-Balkans Tourism Forum “Bridging Destinations,” held July 17-18 in Rome in the presence of the Ministers of Tourism of Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The fruitful event, according to Minister Borshosh, contributed to further strengthening the synergies already present in the bilateral sphere, confirming the common strategic vision of the Italian and Bulgarian governments in the field of tourism promotion. The meeting later focused on the ongoing negotiations between the Bulgarian government and Italy’s RCS to bring Bulgaria to host the first three stages of the upcoming Giro d’Italia, one of the world’s largest professional cycling competitions, whose races are broadcast to more than a hundred countries with a potential audience of 800 million viewers. The Ambassador and the Minister agreed on the importance of the competition as a vector for tourism and economic promotion of the country and bringing young people closer to sports and nature. Ambassador Apicella said he was willing to explore the possibility of organizing initiatives to promote Sistema Italia in some of the localities that will be affected by the passage of the Giro, involving the Italian community present there.
Italy is a very important market for Bulgarian tourism and bilateral collaborations have a fruitful tradition. More than 101,620 tourist arrivals from Italy were recorded in Bulgaria in the first half of 2025 (+21.5 percent compared to 2024). Also contributing to the growth of Italian tourism is the rich offer of air connections available to and from Sofia’s “Vasil Levski” International Airport, which currently includes among its destinations the airports of: Rome (Fiumicino and Ciampino), Milan (Bergamo and Malpensa), Bari, Bologna, Catania, Naples, Salerno, Pisa, Venice (Treviso) and Alghero. These connections have recently been joined by two new air links that will connect Milan to Plovdiv and Varna. More and more Italians are choosing Bulgaria for their vacations, exploring its territory in search of balance between authenticity and comfort. At the same time, 153,110 Bulgarians chose Italy for their vacations in the first half of 2025, primarily visiting Veneto, Lombardy, Lazio and Tuscany.
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Last modified: August 28, 2025
