site.btaBTA Director General Valchev Presents Turkish Edition of BG SPA - Health through Water Catalogue in Ankara

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev presented the Turkish-language edition of BG SPA - Health through Water, a thematic publication of the Bulgarian News Agency, at BTA's National Press Club in Ankara.

Among those attending the event were Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva, Bulgaria's Ambassador to Turkiye Angel Cholakov, Bulgarian National Radio's Radio Bulgaria Editor-in-Chief Krasimir Martinov, representatives of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA), members of the Bulgarian community in Ankara, Turkish media representatives, diplomats and guests from Bulgaria and Turkiye.

Valchev noted that the publication, which is also available in Bulgarian, English and Romanian, features 128 certified SPA, wellness and medical SPA centres in Bulgaria out of more than 200 nationwide. He described the Turkish edition as the first publication in Turkish in BTA's 128-year history.

The catalogue was published with the institutional partnership of the Tourism Ministry and the organizational support of BUBSPA. It was first released in connection with HEALTHXCHANGE 2026, a European forum dedicated to the future of sustainable health tourism, held in May in Varna and the Black Sea resorts of Sts Constantine and Helena, Golden Sands and Albena.

Valchev said Bulgaria's SPA tourism offering is among the country's key tourism messages alongside seaside, mountain and cultural tourism. He stressed that Turkish visitors are well acquainted with the benefits of health, SPA and wellness tourism and are likely to appreciate Bulgaria's extensive mineral-water resources, climate health resorts and Black Sea coast.

"Bulgaria offers SPA holidays that are safe, peaceful, affordable and close by," Valchev said, adding that these advantages make the country an attractive destination for Turkish visitors.

He also noted that BTA has maintained a national press club and permanent correspondent in Ankara since 2024 and expressed hope that publications such as the catalogue would contribute to closer ties across the region. Valchev said BTA also plans to begin publishing news in Turkish on its website and social media platforms.

The BG SPA – Health through Water catalogue was produced in institutional partnership with the Tourism Ministry and with organizational support from BUBSPA. In the publication, BTA, which marked its 128th anniversary in February, presents news from 128 certified SPA, wellness and medical SPA centres in Bulgaria, whose total number exceeds 200. The catalogue has so far been published in Bulgarian, English, Romanian and Turkish, with all versions also available electronically on BTA’s website.