site.btaBTA Joins Wine Tourism Campaign, Says BTA Director Valchev

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev presented the start of the Wine Leads the Way national campaign by the Ministry of Tourism to promote wine tourism in Bulgaria at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Tuesday.

According to Valchev, a new section titled “New BG WINE Leads the Way” will appear on the BTA website in 2025 to cover news from Bulgarian wineries. He pointed out that news agencies are meant to deliver news, and there is a wealth of news around Bulgarian wine and winemakers, especially in autumn. 

Valchev said that BTA aims to report on the developments at Bulgarian wineries this year. The initiative precedes the ninth edition of the Global Conference on Wine Tourism, which Plovdiv will host. Valchev noted that the Ministry of Tourism is organizing the forum in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Since February 2022, BTA has maintained the “BG Wine” section, after signing a cooperation agreement with five winemaking associations: the Bulgarian Association of Independent Winegrowers, the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals, the National Vine and Wine Chamber, the National Association of Bulgarian Vine Growers, and the Black Sea Regional Vine and Wine Chamber, Valchev said.

Since then, this section has featured over 400 news items about Bulgarian wine, including more than 70 in English. Valchev said the aim is for this new subsection, “New BG WINE Leads the Way,” to be part of the national campaign initiated by Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh.

He added that, before the start of the Global Conference on Wine Tourism, BTA aims to present news on about half of the 354 registered wineries in Bulgaria, with about 170 currently active. Valchev said BTA aims to report on about ten wineries before the forum begins in Plovdiv. He said that BTA will also try to produce a printed LIK magazine edition in Bulgarian and English to present at the Plovdiv forum.

Valchev said BTA has agreed with Petia Minkova, Chairperson of the Board of the Bulgarian Wine Tourism Organization, for their organization to join the initiative. Minkova is also the managing director of Chateau Copsa. Valchev emphasized that when BTA speaks on behalf of companies, especially in the business sector and for wine production, it is about news, not advertising. The Ministry of Tourism’s campaign aims to inform potential visitors by offering comprehensive information, rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, in order to boost tourism.

Valchev presented Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh with four issues of LIK magazine, each focusing on tourism development. The publication is distributed to over 300 libraries throughout Bulgaria and is now available internationally.