The Municipality of Plovdiv participates in the International Tourism Exhibition FITUR 2024 in Madrid

The Municipality of Plovdiv participates in one of the largest tourist formats worldwide - the International Tourist Exhibition FITUR 2024, which takes place in the city of Madrid, Spain, in the period from January 24 to 28, 2024. It was opened yesterday by the Spanish King Felipe. Among the official guests of the ceremony were the Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, Zaritsa Dinkova, and our ambassador to Spain, Alexey Andreev.

FITUR 2024 is the first global forum of the year to bring together professionals and the general public, providing an opportunity for industry stakeholders to discuss both the results of the past year and the key priority areas for the year ahead.

FITUR takes place every year in the second half of January. This year's edition is the 44th in the history of the exhibition, and a record 9,000 companies and organizations from 152 countries participate in it. It is expected to be attended by more than 222,000 visitors, of which 136,000 professionals and 86,000 general public.

The Municipality of Plovdiv, via the Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Bulgaria, is part of the Bulgarian participation in the exhibition with an information stand with an area of 150 square meters.

In the period January - November 2023, the total number of Spanish tourists who visited Bulgaria was 72,591 people, which is 41.6% more than the same period of 2022, according to the statistics of the ministry. Spanish citizens are mostly interested in urban and cultural tourism in Bulgaria, and the most visited destinations are Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo.

The official statistical data of the National Statistical Institute indicate that for the period January-November 2023 for the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Spain market is at 9th place according to the indicator "Overnight stays by foreigners" and in 5th place according to the indicator "Foreigners stayed overnight in accommodation".

This is the first participation of our city in this prestigious format, and the goal is to increase the interest of Spanish tourists this year. Visitors to the advertising and information desk of Plovdiv are interested in the cultural and historical heritage of our city and the opportunities for wine tourism in the region, and the planned stay is on average 3-4 days.

Participants of the Bulgarian national stand during the exhibition are a total of 17 representatives from the Bulgarian tourism industry - tour operators, travel agents, municipal administrations, who have the opportunity to present their tourism products. Bulgaria is presented as a destination for year-round tourism, offering opportunities for winter, cultural, eco, SPA and wellness tourism.

The participants from Bulgaria: "World Synergy Travel Bulgaria" Ltd., " Balkania Tour" Ltd., "Boyana - MG" Ltd., OP Tourism at Sofia Municipality, Municipality of Plovdiv, "Albena" AD, "My Story Travel " Ltd., "VIA TRAVEL" Ltd., "Tandem Travel " Ltd., " Filiptour 1" Ltd., Municipality of Varna, "ENJOY PRIME TOURS" Ltd., "Tsarevgrad Tarnov" Ltd., "Bulgaria Air" AD, "Gloria Tours " Ltd., "Balkan Travel Experiences " OOD.