Meeting with representatives of the Japanese Embassy and the Japanese-Bulgarian Economic Council

Sayako Otsu – Second Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Japan in Sofia, visited the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and met with the Vice-President Georgi Stoev and members of the Japanese-Bulgarian Economic Council – Yonka Kinova and Vladimir Kanev.

Georgi Stoev introduced Ms. Otsu to the EU Programme “Horizon 2020” as well as to the calls for tenders for energy efficiency and “smart cities”. He noted that “Horizon 2020” enables small and medium sized enterprises from Japan to engage with small and medium sized enterprises from Bulgaria in projects subsidized by the EU.

How to attract more Japanese tourists to Bulgaria was also discussed at the meeting. Issues like the lack of direct flights, the need of improving the hotel infrastructure, implementing Japanese management into the administration of some of the hotels, among others, were pointed as main problems.

Sayako Otsu said that more information is needed for the possibilities to reach out certain tourist destinations as well as for the combined trips to Bulgaria through visits to neighboring countries like Turkey and Greece.