[size=55:157go94k]BNR

Cultural tourism expo in Veliko Tarnovo features Bulgaria’s 10 wonders



For yet another year, the town of Veliko Tarnovo has become the host of a cultural tourism expo from 13th through the 16th April. This international tourism forum features Bulgarian municipalities and tour operators presenting their holiday packages. The expo also includes meetings and discussions on cultural tourism and its development in Bulgaria. The participants also exchange opinions on the ways for attracting more and more curious and solvent visitors via efficient marketing and advertisement campaigns.

This year, the expo focuses on various attractions related to cultural tourism and the promotion of Bulgaria’s 10 wonders. These are the most emblematic Bulgarian cultural and historical landmarks that were selected by the readers of the Sofia-based daily Standart during a heated competition of 50 Bulgarian sights. Now, each of the ten municipalities on whose territory these sights are located has its own stand promoting its rich cultural and historical heritage. A film festival accompanies the expo, entitled On The Eastern Coast of Europe where promotional clips of the 10 wonders of Bulgaria are shown. The sensation of this year’s edition of the expo is the coastal town of Sozopol that topped the prestigious chart due to its unique monuments of culture and its millennia-long history. Three films shown during the film festival were dedicated to Sozopol, most beautiful and antique towns on the Bulgarian Black-sea coast.



Rila Monastery dting back to the 10th century

Another highlight of the expo is the exhibition of handmade tapestries depicting Bulgarian holy places and created by famous Bulgarian designer Rossitsa Bakalova. Some of the most impressive tapestries show replicas of the Madara Horseman (a rock-hewn bas-relief from the 8th century near Shumen), and the Rila Monastery (one of the most emblematic landmarks dating back to the 10th century), both in the top 10 Bulgarian wonders chart.

The expo stand of the town of Belogradchik draws a lot of attention. The famous Belogradchik Rocks, which were included in a global chart of the new 10 wonders of the world, are located nearby. So it is small wonder that last year this small town in the Bulgarian north west was visited by a record number of tourists. However, local hotel owners now report to a drop in the number of tourists due to the economic recession. That is why they rely on advertising and on promoting their town via the chart of Bulgaria’s ten wonders.



he participants in the current cultural tourism expo in Veliko Tarnovo have also discussed the opportunities for including the ten wonders of Bulgaria in attractive tourist packages that could be promoted abroad, as well. The historic hills of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa in Veliko Tarnovo, the medieval capital of the Bulgarian state, are also on the list of the top 10 wonders of the country. The old capital is one of the most visited towns in Bulgaria. On the last day of the tourist expo, the newest attraction of the town will be shown to the public called The Sentries of the King’s town of Tarnovo. It is a reenactment based on historical chronicles and will show the changing of the guard ceremony with the participation of 25 sentries and horsemen dressed in medieval armor. The reenactment lasts 15 minutes to a musical accompaniment. The municipal tourist agency Tsarevgrad Tarnov hopes that the new attraction will acquire the same appeal and popularity as the Sound and Light show on the Tsarevets fortress that has been one of the tourist emblems of Veliko Tarnovo for years, drawing thousands of guests to Bulgaria’s old capital.

Looks a fantastic area, but then again all of Bulgaria has hidden quaint little towns and villages that are very similar.

Oddy