Culture Minister: Bulgaria Should Turn into Real Tourist Destination

2009-08-15

Bulgaria's Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, has stated that Bulgarians have to learn how to profit from Bulgaria's cultural and historical heritage. "There is no tourism without history. Otherwise, it is just the accommodation. It is the time now when Bulgaria should turn into a real tourist destination, because tourists come for recuperation in the first place but they also want to take...memories back home," Rashidov said in the coastal city of Varna, cited by Bulgarian daily Standart. "Why do 40 million people go every year to Florence? To take a picture in front of the statue of David by Michelangelo," Rashidov continued. Rashidov concluded that he believes that the Cultural Heritage Act should be worked out not by one minister or by one cabinet, but should be settled by a broad consensus.