The Bulgarian capital Sofia will host an international tourism fair mid-February. The Holiday & SPA Expo is scheduled to take place at the Inter Expo Center Sofia from 15 to 17 next month. It is the 34th edition of the exhibition, which is organized by PRIM EXPO under the patronage of the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism and in partnership with the Municipality of Sofia, BTCH, BHRA, BATA, ABTTA, BUBSPA, and Sofia Tourist Council.
The first day of the Holiday & SPA Expo will be reserved to professionals and their guests, while the public access opens on February 16 and 17. The list of exhibitors this year features currently 255 entries, but registration is still open. Last year the fair registered record participation from 380 Bulgarian companies, as well as national tourist organizations, associations and boards, tourist companies and agencies, hotels, balneological resorts and spa centers, municipalities, transport organizations, software companies, and companies for hotel equipment, from more than 20 countries.
The Inter Expo Center is located on the outskirts of Sofia, in a modern industrial complex, not far from the Royal Palace “Vrana” – you can reach the palace and its beautiful park in about 15 minutes by car from the parking lot of the exhibition center. The palace is the official residence of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria and his wife Tsaritsa Margarita. The park is open to the public weekends from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. For visitors who prefer to use public transportation, there is a direct bus line to the park, nr.505, with buses running only Saturdays and Sundays. The park is a work of landscaping art, with a striking variety of plants over only 100 hectares of land, a lake, and several rock gardens. The park is usually closed on national holidays. To meet popular demand, the park is available as a wedding venue since 2015.
Business accommodation near the exhibition center includes Best Western Expo Hotel, within the fair complex, as well as Hotel Montecito, ATM Center Hotel, Hotel Novotel Sofia, Metropolitan Hotel all on Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd.