Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev and Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov launched the campaign “Transport and Tourism – Connecting the Journey with the Experience”, which presents a new concept for promoting Bulgaria as a tourist destination through BDZ trains.
At Sofia Central Station, a bistro car featuring new visual branding was unveiled, highlighting tourist attractions and incorporating the national tourism logo. As part of the event, Peev and Dimitrov played a symbolic game of chess – a gesture highlighting the synergy between transport and tourism and the idea of turning the journey itself into a complete experience. Chess is among the board games provided for passengers in the refurbished carriages.
“This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Tourism, and I would like to thank our colleagues for it. We are trying to combine travel with visits to tourist destinations. We are still a long way from the standard of service we want to provide, but that does not prevent us from bringing a little positivity to everything we want to achieve at BDZ. We are working to improve the reality on the ground and make the service genuinely good and responsive to people’s expectations,” Georgi Peev said.
Minister Peev announced that the bistro cars would operate primarily on the Sofia–Burgas route, as well as on the Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow-gauge railway, with plans to gradually extend the service to other routes. The changes also include reinstating the option to purchase first-class tickets up to 10 days in advance, making it easier for passengers to plan a more comfortable journey.
The service model is being revamped so that the bistro car provides passengers with a pleasant environment in which to spend their journey. At a later stage, first-class passengers will also be able to order food and drinks directly from their seats. As part of the campaign, more than 1,300 promotional materials will be displayed on trains to inspire passengers to discover new destinations across the country.
“Transport is tourism, and tourism is transport. We need to ensure that we have a very good product,” Minister Peev added.
“The changes to the bistro cars are a concrete step towards providing a more modern service on long-distance trains. This is the direction in which the railway needs to develop – greater comfort for passengers and a better experience during the journey,” he further emphasised.
BDZ has begun drawing up new timetables based on actual data and demand analysis in connection with Bulgaria’s forthcoming hosting of Eurovision. The aim is to make rail services between Sofia and Burgas even more convenient and frequent, providing optimal transport options for Bulgarian and international visitors travelling to the country.
