Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria is working to ease visa issuance and attract more Turkish tourists, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov said, the Tourism Ministry press service said on Friday. Dimitrov spoke after meeting Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Sait Uyanık.
Dimitrov said steps were being taken to increase the capacity of consular services. Options were also being considered for a simplified procedure for Turkish citizens who had previously been issued visas. “Turkiye is among the countries with the best connections to Bulgaria. The proximity of the two countries makes travel by car easy, and easing the visa process could significantly increase tourist exchanges,” Dimitrov said.
Uyanık described tourism as one of the strongest bridges between the two peoples. He said around 3 million Bulgarians visited Turkiye in 2025, placing Bulgaria among the five leading markets for Turkish tourism. Since the beginning of 2026, Bulgarian citizens have made around 1.2 million trips to Turkiye. “Bulgaria has enormous potential. Spa tourism is an area in which the country is exceptionally strong, while Bansko and Borovets are already very popular with Turkish tourists,” Uyanık said. He added that greater flexibility in visa issuance would encourage Turkish citizens to visit Bulgaria more often and discover its winter, balneological and spa destinations.
The Ministry of Tourism plans to organize a visit by Turkish tour operators during the winter season so they can see first-hand what Bansko and Borovets have to offer. Dimitrov also invited Uyanık to take part in the initiative.
Bulgaria introduced a more flexible visa system for Turkish citizens in July 2025, allowing eligible applicants with a compliant visa history to receive one-, three- or five-year visas. Turkish tourist registrations exceeded 110,000 in January-May 2025, up 61.6% year on year.
The Tourism Ministry has also promoted Bulgaria’s spa, wellness and balneological tourism in Turkiye. More than 295,000 Turkish tourists were registered at Bulgarian accommodation establishments in 2025, an increase of 61%, while the figure exceeded 95,000 at the start of 2026. Tourism Ministry Seeks Easier Visas to Attract More Turkish Tourists 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-10 15:24:29 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