The Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association has presented its annual awards for professional achievements in the field of tourism, in which it also distinguished the work of Swiss Elizabeth Bleecker in promoting Bulgaria as a tourist destination in three countries – Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We were surprised to find that Elisabeth Bleiker's interest in Bulgaria began long before she met her Bulgarian husband. She was only 19 years old at the time, and what provoked her curiosity was the millenia-old Bulgarian history.

"Thanks to my profession and my husband's work, I have an extremely wide circle of acquaintances. Everyone asks me what we do in Bulgaria where we live for three months every year. So, I tell them about what they can experience and see if they visit the country. Thanks to my contacts, I also try to convince several travel agencies to offer a wider range of travel packages for Bulgaria, not just vacations on the Black Sea coast. I talk about the rich cultural and historical heritage, the Bulgarian monasteries, the mountains, the numerous mineral springs and the opportunities for spa and wellness holidays," Swiss Elisabeth Bleiker tells Radio Bulgaria.

Elisabeth has her own private practice as a psychiatrist, and her husband has worked for many years to attract Swiss investors to Bulgaria. Today, however, she is no longer involved in this, and the couple lives in Zurich. Their connection with Bulgaria though remains uninterrupted also thanks to the news and varied content of Radio Bulgaria. Elisabeth also often listens to the German-language podcast of Radio Bulgaria "Bulgaria Today", which we prepare every weekday, where we talk about different aspects of life in Bulgaria, lead the audience on interesting routes and immerse them in the diversity of Bulgarian music and traditions.

The surprising advice from Elisabeth Bleiker is that Bulgaria should not rely too much on tourism advertising. The explanation is that there are many examples of destinations in Italy and Spain, where overtourism is observed, to deal with which local authorities are forced to introduce various restrictions and fees.