Program

The exhibition will be opened by His Excellency Mr. Huseyn Huseynov – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan.

The event is part of the activities for the implementation of the memorandum of cooperation between Veliko Tarnovo and Shusha – cultural capitals of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, signed in 2022 within the framework of the official visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria.

Business Center Veliko Tarnovo /a change of place is possible depending on weather conditions/

Demonstration “Secrets of wood carving”  – Alyosha Kadyov, teacher at “Ivan Vazov” Vocational School of Woodworking – Velingrad

Demonstration of writing eggs with wax using techniques from the Chepin region – Elena Beleva – master, Historical Museum – Velingrad

Honors are awarded in the following categories:

·  most professional travel sites, mobile applications and virtual reality;

·  most interesting tourist publications (books, guidebooks, textbooks, maps, etc.);

·  most effective sections and publications on the subject of the exhibition (reports, video coverage, etc.);

·  the most original posters for events in the field of cultural tourism, organized by museums, municipalities, branch organizations and associations, the state and non-governmental sector, universities, etc.;

·  for the Grand Jury Prize – the most original event in the field of cultural tourism for 2023.

Plamen Mademov, Director of the Gorna Oryahovitsa Historical Museum

In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the Association of Bulgarian Museums, directors of regional and municipal museums from the country, prominent specialists in the field of museum design and marketing have been invited to participate in the discussion.

Special Guests:

·         Kristina Ferwerda – experienced designer, expert in content creation, writer and project manager, with the assistance of the “America for Bulgaria” Foundation

·         prof. Nikolay Nenov – Director of RHM Ruse and lecturer at NBU, chairman of the 47th session of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Committee in 2025 in Bulgaria.

Special guest and host of the presentation Executive Chef Stylianos Digas (Greece). The culinary presentation is organized by “A BALKAN” Ltd. and CHEFS CLUB OF HELLENIC GASTRONOMY.

The President of the Guild of Professional Chefs of Greek Gastronomy Executive Chef Stylianos Digas and his team will prepare and present recipes from the Greek Mediterranean cuisine, with an emphasis on the selection and use of traditional local products, as well as the way to turn a dish into an advertising face of a given tourist destination.

In the kitchen of the restaurant of Business Center Veliko Tarnovo, Executive Chef Stylianos Digas and his team of professional chefs from Greece, together with students from the Vocational High School of Tourism “Dr. Vasil Beron” – Veliko Tarnovo, will jointly prepare the presented dishes, and the Greek guests will demonstrate and share with the students some of their professional culinary secrets.

/transportation is provided for the participants of the exhibition, from Business Center Veliko Tarnovo to the Panoramic viewing terrace/

Demonstration “Secrets of wood carving”  – Alyosha Kadyov, teacher at “Ivan Vazov” Vocational School of Woodworking – Velingrad

Demonstration of writing eggs with wax using techniques from the Chepin region – Elena Beleva – master, Historical Museum – Velingrad

New opportunities for cooperation through the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) and the European Festival Association (EFA)

Dr. Daniela Koleva, culturologist

In recent years, travel to destinations that have been the setting of cinema and television films is not only a current tourist trend, but is also increasingly recognized by local authorities as an opportunity to develop the local economy. The experience of Sofia as a UNESCO City of Cinema and the opportunities provided by the participation in the UNESCO Creative Cities network could give an incentive to more Bulgarian municipalities to activate their potential for closer cooperation with the film industry.

Bulgarian producers and representatives of municipalities, on whose territory Bulgarian film productions have been filmed in recent years, are invited to participate in the discussion.

Modern urban, organizational and aesthetic solutions that make cities attractive to tourists and guests and improve the quality of life will be discussed by representatives of the national organizations of tour operators and tour guides, municipalities, the Ministry of Tourism, specialists in the field of the urban environment and contemporary arts. A special thematic panel is dedicated to the eternally relevant topic “brand Bulgaria”, as well as to the approach to the selection and creation of advertising souvenirs of the destinations.

Cocktail for the participants of the International Fair, prepared and presented by graduates of the Vocational High School of Tourism “Dr. Vesil Beron”