Mayor of Plovdiv Mr. Zdravko Dimitrov places the first European Best Destinations 2022 - Plovdiv sticker on the newest hotel in the city

With the installation of a European Best Destination 2022 - Plovdiv sticker Mayor Zdravko Dimitrov and Deputy Mayor Plamen Panov launched an initiative in which hotels and other accommodation in the city will promote the title, which Plovdiv won. The competition was held at the beginning of the year, where Plovdiv competed with popular destinations such as Rome, Berlin and Istanbul, and won the prestigious fourth place.

"We are not only among the most desired European destinations, but we are also the best place to visit in Bulgaria. Now the tourists who stay in the city will know that we are winners of prestigious awards." With these words, Mayor Zdravko Dimitrov presented the campaign, which furthers the City's policy to establish Plovdiv as a leading cultural destination in the tourism sector.

Deputy Mayor for Culture, Archaeology and Tourism Plamen Panov explained that the sticker will be placed on all tourist sites that wish to promote the title - hotels, museums, galleries and restaurants. He stressed that only the top five cities of the competition have the right to use the European Best Destinations 2022 logo. "This is a recognition of the good work done to promote the city. The success shows that we are competitive with cities that are already established destinations worldwide and at the same time it obliges us to use the power of this title during the year", said Panov. He also said that according to cities - winners of the title, such as Porto and Bordeaux, the tourist flow is expected to increase many times over, which will lead to more revenue for the industry.

According to data from the Tourism Department of the Municipality, 2021 is a successful year for Plovdiv. The number of tourists who had an overnight stay increased by 39% compared to 2020, and for the third quarter there was an increase of 13.1% of Bulgarian citizens compared to the pre-pandemic 2019. The data also show that the number of overnight stays in Plovdiv increased by 38% compared to 2020. Revenues are 50% more than in 2020.