"According to our national statistics, 3271 visits of Azerbaijani tourists in Bulgaria were reported in 2017. We hope that their number will increase in the current year and we already have positive results," she added.

However, Angelkova pointed out that still less are the trips of Bulgarian tourists to Azerbaijan as the final destination.

"Last year they were 2104, which is nearly 2 times more than in 2016 (1055 visits). For the first two months of this winter season, Bulgarian citizens have made 156 trips to Azerbaijan as a final destination, compared to just 43 in the same months of last winter," said the minister.

She noted that of course, the possibilities are much larger and the sides work together to realize them.

Angelkova recalled that in 2015, Bulgarian government approved a Protocol for expanding the cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan in the field of tourism, which is an appraisal of the importance of the sector for the two countries’ economic partnership.

Masaim Abdullayev,
“Khalq qazeti”