Balgarianovinite.com The Bulgarian Tourist Union (BTU) marked the 60th anniversary of the Get to Know Bulgaria – 100 National Tourist Sites national movement in Zheravna on Saturday.
Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov opened celebrations, highlighting the movement’s contribution to domestic tourism and to preserving Bulgaria’s natural and cultural heritage.
Addressing those gathered, Dimitrov said the initiative had inspired generations of Bulgarians to discover the country’s landscapes and historical landmarks. Recalling writer Aleko Konstantinov’s call to “Get to know your homeland in order to love it”, he described the movement as a unique initiative that continues to promote knowledge of Bulgaria and encourage people to explore its natural environment.
Konstantinov (1863-1897) is widely regarded as the founder of organized tourism in Bulgaria.
The Tourism Minister, himself a holder of the national tourist sites badge, said people could fully appreciate Bulgaria’s natural beauty only by experiencing it firsthand.
During the ceremony, Dimitrov received a commemorative plaque marking the movement’s 60th anniversary. He, in turn, presented an honorary certificate of the Ministry of Tourism to BTU Chair Ventsislav Venev in recognition of his contribution to the development of the movement and the promotion of Bulgarian tourism.
Accepting the distinction, Venev said the certificate would take its place among the BTU’s most valued awards. He presented the Ministry of Tourism with a commemorative plaque in appreciation of its support for the movement.
Greetings were also delivered by National Assembly Tourism Committee Chair Rositsa Kirova, who emphasized the movement’s role in preserving Bulgaria’s history, culture and natural heritage, and by Zheravna Mayor Vasil Reshtov, who welcomed the choice of the National Revival-era village as host of the anniversary celebrations. Both received commemorative plaques from the Bulgarian Tourist Union.
Venev said the movement remains one of the country’s largest public initiatives and continues to attract new generations of tourists. Although it retains the name 100 National Tourist Sites, the initiative now includes more than 200 landmarks grouped under 100 numbers, he said.
Zheravna was chosen as host of the anniversary celebrations because of the area’s rich natural and cultural heritage and the strong presence of active tourist societies. The programme included a gathering of people who have visited all national tourist sites and received the movement’s highest distinction, the gold badge.
More than 10,000 people have received the gold badge over the history of the initiative, while around 500 tourists are awarded badges every year, including about 100 who achieve the gold distinction after visiting all sites. Silver and bronze badges are awarded after collecting 50 and 25 stamps respectively.
Nikolay Dobrev of the Plovdiv Tourist Society was among the official guests. One of the movement’s most active participants, he has earned 27 gold badges for repeatedly visiting all sites included in the national tourism initiative.
Venev said the introduction of a digital version of the traditional tourist booklet had been among the movement’s most successful recent steps, with visitors now able to collect electronic stamps through a mobile application while retaining the paper format. He added that the digital booklet had led to a significant increase in interest, particularly among young families.
The movement has also attracted foreign visitors, including tourists from Romania, Czechia and Germany, as well as international online influencers interested in exploring Bulgaria’s landmarks. Get to Know Bulgaria – 100 National Tourist Sites Movement Marks 60th Anniversary 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-25 14:28:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law