Over 6 million tourists have joined till now the Come to Know Bulgaria – 100 National Tourist Sites National Movement which will mark its 50^th jubilee in 2016. It is organized by the Bulgarian Tourist Union with no analogue across the globe. The idea is the whole state to be toured around in an organized manner and with the purpose of visiting its most wonderful spots. Each site visited is stamped in a special guide book. There are many historical and archaeological landmarks among those and also protected natural reserves where tourists can get to know the flora and fauna of this country. Lots of young people feel attracted to the movement and in the end of the year some of the tourists are selected via lottery for different awards, a car being the major one. At the same time the award is in the sphere of morality and the national movement faces widespread support, says Secretary Executive of the BTU Ventsislav Udev, adding that:

“The Come to Know Bulgaria National Movement is one of the main directions in the union’s activity, as it is a large-scale project. We’ve been developing it since 2003 and some 675,000 people joined it till 2014. They all have books with the 100 National Tourist Sites and new landmarks were included last year. Still, we try to keep the sites 100 and that is why we combine with new local landmarks. Last year we included a small early Christian basilica and the Roman stadium in the city of Plovdiv, the University Botanic Garden in the town of Balchik, the Pomorie Lake ecological center and the Pelistera fortress near the town of Peshtera. Depending on their financial abilities, some of the participants have managed to collect all the 100 seals and stamps in the course of a year only. However, it takes 4 –5 years to others, who use public transport, to complete the task. Everyone with the 100 NTS in his sleeve gets a Golden Badge from the BTU.”

Udev recalls the skepticism of the museum employees years ago, when the campaign kicked off – those doubted about people’s support back then. However, a growing interest has been marked over the years, as the number of visitors has been on the rise by 40 – 60,000 people per year, willing to get their seals and stamps. Furthermore:

“Foreign tourists also show interest towards the sites. The greatest number of those come from Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Ukraine and even Australia and Asia. For instance, the Japanese ambassador to Bulgaria has his Golden Badge. We have developed projects for cross-border cooperation with Serbia, Romania, Greece and Macedonia. That is how a visitors’ center has been built up in the town of Strumitsa and there is another one in the Bulgarian town of Petrich, close to our southern border. The goal is 4 – 5 tourist routes to be created between Bulgaria and Macedonia. We have named those Following the Steps of Samuel’s Warriors, On the Ridge of Belasitsa and Ograjden Mountains etc. The tourist associations of the Pirot and Zaichar towns are our Serbian partners. Those were our recent guests, in order to look for cooperation for the establishment of new cross-border routes,” Ventsislav Udev says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev