site.btaAssociation Hopes Bulgaria to Become Europe's and World's New Wine Tourism Gem

The members of the Bulgarian Association for Wine Tourism (BAWT) hope that Bulgaria will become the new wine tourism gem on the map of Europe and the world, BAWT President Petya Minkova said here on Friday.

She stressed that the BAWT members offer wine tours, own accommodation facilities, restaurants and organized experience in addition to wine tasting. The Association will be working for positioning and presenting Bulgaria as a destination for wine tourism and tours, as is the practice in Italy, Spain and France. "Becoming an attractive destination requires above all implementing standards of work and ever more ramified education of your people," Minkova pointed out. 

She presented Bulgaria's informal wine regions and details about the BAWT members and emphasized that, jointly with the Tourism Ministry, they will all be working for a uniform visual identity and standard of Bulgarian wineries before the world.

Minkova reported to-the-point data and ranking under the new European Wine Tourism index - the first of its kind and compiled by TUI Management. The index ranks countries according to five criteria: vineyard area, number of wines with protected designations of origin, production volume, and international awards. 

Bulgaria is ranked 10th in the European Wine Tourism index. The top-ranked country is France, with a score of 85.2 points out of 100 possible and with the largest number of international awards, followed by Italy with the largest number of protected designations, and Spain with more than 900,000 ha of land under vines, of which 97% with protected geographical indications. "Bulgaria's tenth place implies that we stand a chance of earning an upgrade. At this point, 170 wineries countrywide offer wine tourism, and 50 of them have accommodation facilities and gourmet restaurants," she added, specifying that the target is to attract both local and foreign tourists interested in tasting, fine food and ancillary experience.

The BAWT President said that, combined with natural scenery, culture, historical heritage and SPA, Bulgaria's over 45 indigenous grape varieties open up vast opportunities for development.

Over the next two years, the Association will be working for an improvement of the wineries' infrastructure and visibility through new signs, maps and a digital platform. "We will be working for regulation and recognition, a uniform standard and certification, and we will expect and provide support to municipalities for various festivals with cross initiatives like wine with SPA or wine with archaeology. We will also stress international promotion by attending exhibitions and fairs, a Taste Bulgaria Campaign, and inviting journalists and influencers. Training ever more wine guides and wineries will also help develop Bulgaria as a round-the-year wine destination. We will aspire to double the number of wine tourists by 2030 and will present the indigenous varieties as Bulgaria's ambassadors in the world, so that tourists could really taste authentic Bulgarian varieties rather than the run-of-the-mill," Minkova pointed out.

She also presented the Wine Leads the Way National Campaign, which is carried out jointly by the Ministry of Tourism, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals and the Bulgarian Association for Wine Tourism, as well as the 9th Global Conference on Wine Tourism, due in Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria), October 5 - 7, 2025. "This a fantastic opportunity for everybody in the industry to present themselves. Almost all wineries in Bulgaria will take part, enabling more than 150 wine journalists and wine business people to taste their products. These are the first steps by which we will attract interest to Bulgaria. A Mavrud Day will be held on October 5, and all wineries in the area of Plovdiv will show their varieties, their select crop and will offer a variety of experiences," Minkova said.