Bulgaria is a new and unknown destination for incentive travel that offers a variety of historical, natural, and cultural attractions. With over 1300 years of history, Bulgaria was home to ancient Thracian and Roman civilizations and introduced the Cyrillic alphabet. Nature attractions include forests, mineral springs, mountains like Rila which is the highest on the Balkan Peninsula, and the source of most of the world's rose oil. Bulgaria also has unique festivals, folklore like nestinari firewalkers, cuisine including wine which it is a top producer of, and architectural villages worth exploring near cities like Sofia, the capital city with a 5000 year history.

1. BULGARIA – NEW AND UNKNOWN
DESTINATION FOR INCENTIVE TRAVEL

2. History
 More than 1300 years of
history since year 681
 The Thracian civilization
inhabited the lands of current
Bulgaria
 Plovdiv is Europe’s Oldest
Inhabited City, even older
than Athens
 Bulgaria brought the world
the Cyrillic alphabet – which
today is used in Russia and
throughout the Balkans and
other Slavic nations.

3. Ancient civilizations
 The world oldest processed
gold is found in Bulgaria
 Thracians left unique golden
and silver treasures dated 2
– 5 century BC
 Recently in Rodopi
mountain was found a
whole Thracian town
 Sofia and Plovdiv were one
of the biggest Roman cities

4. Nature
 A third of Bulgaria is forested
 Bulgaria ranks third in Europe
in biodiversity
 Bulgaria Has The 2nd Most
Mineral Springs In Europe
 Highest mountain on the
Balkans is Rila 2925 m.
 The roses grown in Bulgaria’s
“Rose Valley” produce most
(70-85%) of the world’s rose oil
 Black sea, rivers, mountains
and mineral springs

5. Wine and cuisine
 The country is one of the
world’s biggest winemakers
– 200,000 tones a year
 Unique food dishes:
banitsa, kebapche, kufte,
kavarma, kachamak etc.
 Homemade “rakia” –
national spirit
 Different style of dining

6. Unique venues
 Museums and galleries for
private events at relatively
cheep rates
 Dolphinarium in Varna
 Palaces in Sofia and Varna
 Antic Roman Theatre in
Plovdiv
 Luxury train of the last
Bulgarian king Boris III from
1938

7. Activities
 Rafting and kayaking
 Hiking and orientation
 Biking, ATV, Jeep safaris
 Snowmobile, snowshoeing,
skiing, snowboarding
 Extreme caving, climbing,
ice climbing
 Jets, bananas, catamaran,
boat trips

8. Unique festivals
 Rose Festival every 1st week
of June
 Baba Marta on 1st of March
connecting with the unique
“martenitsa” presents
 Jordanov Day – first week of
January people enter in the
ice-cold river waters to
dance (t. is – 10/15 C)
 Kukeri Festival: unique
dancers

9. Folklore
 Nestinari – people dancing
with bear foots on hot coals
 Horo – typical Bulgarian
dance
 Unique national music,
costumes and dances

10. Sofia – the capital
 Sofia “the small Jerusalem”
– you will find in a distance
of 2 sq. km temples of the
four dominant religions in
Europe and Middle East:
Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim,
Jewish
 The history of Sofia trace back
5000 years ago
 When Romulus established
Rome only two of the current
European capitals existed:
Sofia and Athens
 The largest Orthodox church
on the Balkan Peninsula – the
Alexander Nevski Cathedral
 Sofia is marked by the
Thracian civilization, the
Roman civilization, the
Ottomans and the Slav
people

11. Unique village architecture
 Unique villages at a close
distance to the main cities
and thus excellent for
excursions
 Different architecture than
rest of the world
 Many villages declared
open museum towns and
architectural reserves