Bulgaria's tourism ministry will get €10m more to advertise the country abroad. The aim is to double the number of foreign tourists, from 4 million now to 8 million within four years, Minister Ilin Dimitrov told a quick-question session of the parliamentary tourism committee.

The ministry announced the extra money on Friday. It is in the draft 2027 budget and will be spent in a new way, through direct partnerships with airlines and tour operators.

Earlier on this story: Another €10m for tourism ads and travel links in 2027

The money is for direct advertising through big international tour operators. The ministry puts money into their advertising channels, and the operator adds the same amount. Bulgaria has signed a deal on this model with TUI, and other big German tour operators have since shown interest. The minister says this gives a better chance to advertise on the German market.

Some partners have their own planes or work with airlines, so campaigns can be linked to more flights. Jet2holidays and EasyJet are interested. The ministry's priority is more flights from the UK to the northern Black Sea coast, while the flow of tourists to the southern resorts should not fall. British tour operators now bring their tourists mainly through Burgas airport.

The ministry has €23.858m in total, and nearly €9m of it is for advertising. After the cost of international trade fairs, about €4.5m is left for direct advertising. Dimitrov says the money has so far not been enough compared with rivals. For comparison, Turkey and Greece spend about €350m and about €400m a year on advertising.

The minister also proposes a change for municipalities: 50% of their funds would go on advertising. He says this will free up extra money and let local authorities promote their tourist products more actively.

Other priorities are reform of the registers, the tourist tax, a National Tourism Observatory and better links between tourist places.

Dimitrov says 2027 will be a year of new partnerships and networks in tourism. Big international tour operators have been invited to hold their board meetings in Bulgaria, and many have already accepted. Bulgaria has agreed to host a major World Tourism Organization event, planned for the Rose Festival. Talks are also under way for the UNESCO secretary general to attend.

Sports events are planned in several cities: an annual Ironman in Plovdiv and a marathon in Varna. In Burgas, a branded marathon and similar races are being prepared. The goal is for all four big cities to have branded marathons.

Under the "Bulgaria Celebrates" initiative, festivals and events from the regions will be listed in a register on the Visit Bulgaria platform, so tourists know what is coming up and where to go.