site.btaBTA Director General Says Hisarya’s Membership of European Historic Thermal Towns Association Is Another Reason for Pride

The admission of the town of Hisarya into the European Historic Thermal Towns Association is another reason for pride during these days when Bulgaria is celebrating the success of its volleyball players, said Kiril Valchev, Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

He was speaking at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia, alongside Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh and Hisarya Mayor Iva Valcheva.

Valchev highlighted that BTA has a long-standing partnership with the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism and has been consistently promoting Bulgaria as the country with the most mineral springs in continental Europe.

“Only Iceland surpasses us in terms of the number and volume of these water sources,” Valchev added.

He also noted that BTA collaborates with several Bulgarian municipalities to promote their cultural calendars, and mentioned that a similar partnership agreement is expected to be signed with the mayor of Hisarya.

Valchev thanked Tourism Minister Borshosh for using BTA's National Press Club in Sofia as a platform to communicate his messages.

 “BTA is the most natural partner of the Ministry of Tourism as a platform to present the now consistent efforts, led personally by Minister Borshosh, for Bulgaria to more broadly attract tourists across different regions,” Valchev said.

He recalled the joint initiative announced a few days ago to promote Bulgarian wineries, in connection with the upcoming 9th Global Conference on Wine Tourism, which will be hosted in Plovdiv.

Valchev also highlighted that BTA operates correspondent offices in 33 Bulgarian towns—more than just the regional centers—which allows for broader representation of the country's thermal resorts in the national media.

He further emphasized BTA’s initiative to organize the “BG Tourism” forum twice a year, aimed primarily at Bulgarian media, encouraging them to deliver specific messages for the upcoming tourism seasons.

 “There is now a strong and consistent message emerging: that Bulgaria can attract many tourists thanks to its spa and balneological resorts,” Valchev said.

 “Today’s recognition of Hisarya gives us a reason to consider whether one of the next BG Tourism forums should take place there,” he concluded.