On March 19 in the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo, a group of students from Varna University of Management (VUM) together with their colleagues from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK and City Unity College, Greece, met with the mayor of Veliko Tarnovo – Mr. Daniel Panov. The meeting was part of a school trip of nearly 40 students from Bulgaria, USA, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Great Britain, China, Greece, Russia and Jordan – Masters in Tourism. The young people explored the opportunities for an even stronger development of the Old Capital as a tourist destination. Students have the task to get acquainted with the region’s potential and tourism resources, then to prepare a presentation and a project for tourism development together with recommendations and suggestions for its implementation.

The mayor acquainted the foreign students with the history and spirit of the Old Capital and at the end of the meeting decided to gift them a screening of the audio and visual spectacle “Sound and Light”, so that the guests can enjoy the beauty of Veliko Tarnovo.

The students said that Veliko Tarnovo is a town with a history and culture and promised to become ambassadors of the old capital in their countries.

“Tsarevets Fortress is a unique and interesting place, and I was very impressed by the hospitality of the people of Veliko Tarnovo and we were able to test the food that is available in the local restaurants, and I am impressed with the beer – it is great and I have tasted the meat sauce and the Shopska Salad which is a typical Bulgarian dish, “said Linda, who is from the US, Pennsylvania.

“I visited Veliko Tarnovo 7 years ago. I am from Moscow and I know that there are many tourists from Russia in Bulgaria. One of the things I like most in Veliko Tarnovo are the colors of the city. It is great that new zones are being made for a walk, the pavements between the city center and Tsarevets are renewed as this will improve the accessibility to the various tourist sites. Veliko Tarnovo is not a place to visit for only 5 hours – you have to spend at least a few days here to taste everything and to feel the culture and spirit of the city, “said Olga Carnahukova, who said he is currently studying Bulgarian.

“Although I am from Bulgaria, I have not visited Veliko Tarnovo before. I like the fortress Tsarevets very much. There are many museums that are close to each other. I like the image of the city and its focus on the cultural heritage of the old capital. I am impressed by the multimedia center with the wax figures, as far as I am aware, there is no such museum in Bulgaria, “said Evgeni Giaurov, who is from Varna. He noted that all his colleagues were extremely grateful and appreciated by the mayor’s gesture for the free screening of “Sound and Light. ”

The discussion was very fruitful – we talked about the history of Veliko Tarnovo, the monuments of culture from four architectural periods, the new objects – the Trapezitsa Fortress, the Shishmanova Bath, the Miniature Park, the modern forms of marketing and tourist management, the preservation of the cultural – historical herritage. We have talked about the priority infrastructure projects – the completion of the Hemus highway and the construction of the Rousse – Svilengrad highway and the upgrading of the airport in Gorna Oryahovitsa, “said Eng. Panov.

The trip was organized by Varna University of Management and Prof. Stanislav Ivanov, vice-rector of VUM.