The President meets with the famous historian Prof Bettany Hughes

The development of the relationship between cultural and historical heritage, tourism and the economy should be a consistent state policy, Head of State Rumen Radev said today when he met with Prof Bettany Hughes. The renowned English historian, author and presenter of documentaries, filmed with her team historical and cultural landmarks in Bulgaria, which she will present in an episode of her series Treasures of the World. The series focuses on cultural tangible and intangible heritage and is aired in 120 countries with an audience of over 200 million people. The series dedicated to this country will be broadcast early next year. Last May, the Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov held a meeting with Pro Bettany Hughes. The possibility of filming an episode of the documentary series with a focus on Bulgaria was discussed and is in the process of preparation.

Radev stressed that the discovery and preservation of this country's rich cultural and historical heritage not only promoted tourism, but also created prerequisites for the development of a number of other industries and for attracting investments. The head of state expressed confidence that the documentary film by Prof Bettany Hughes would create additional impetus for the promotion of this country as a tourist destination around the world.

Prof Bettany Hughes expressed her admiration for the rich Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage, which traces over 1000 years of the development of human civilisation, as well as for her work with Bulgarian scientists. According to her, Bulgaria should invest in the international recognition of this country as a tourist destination, as the promotion of culture, history and traditions will arouse the interest of many more people to visit here.

The two concurred that more work was needed to improve the infrastructure at tourist sites to facilitate access to them, as well as to develop tourist packages to combine visits to cultural and historical sites with Bulgaria's natural features.