Burgas will be part of European pilgrimage and pilgrimage tourism

The Burgas region will be part of the pilgrimage and pilgrimage tourism in Europe. In the coming days, the first such Bulgarian route will be officially opened under the title "Road to the relics of St. John the Baptist". Its starting point is Malko Tarnovo, and the goal of the pilgrims is to reach the relics of St. John the Baptist in Sozopol. The route passes through 8 localities. The road combines spirituality, history and tourism and is divided into several main pedestrian stages: Malko Tarnovo - Stoilovo - Zabernovo - Vizitsa - Pismenovo - Primorsko - Sozopol.

Upon completion of the pilgrimage, each participant will receive a church certificate signed by the Sliven Metropolitan Arseny.

The initiative is inspired by European pilgrimage routes such as the Camino. It was presented in Burgas by its initiators Lyubomir Mechev and Hristina Jensen from Camino Bulgaria. Also present were representatives of Camino Europa Compostela - the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago - Jorge Martinez Cava, Juan Guerrero and Pascal Duchenne, Martin Lindelof - a representative of a Danish tour operator specializing in organized Camino tours. On behalf of the Municipality of Burgas, the press conference was attended by Mayor Dimitar Nikolov, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Religion Diana Savateva and Deputy Mayor for Tourism and Sports Manol Todorov.

"The first ray of the project, which is 81 kilometers long, is already ready. 13 travelers have already walked it and received their certificates from the church in Sozopol. One of these people is a foreigner, which is an indicator that there is interest from abroad in this type of tourism," announced Lyubomir Mechev.

"We believe that the Burgas region can be the creator of something more significant. In the Christian world, there are an enormous number of pilgrims who, by passing along these routes, strengthen their spirituality and faith. We can take advantage of the great experience that the creators of the Camino Compostela in Spain have and somehow unite the spiritual paths - the East and the West, because this is the territory of Christianity. This is a great chance for the development of tourism in the region, because Burgas is the base center of this route," said Mayor Dimitar Nikolov.

"Bulgaria is connected to Europe and has always been part of Europe. In Galicia last year, we had over 700 thousand pilgrims, and in general 2.5 million tourists. All activities related to pilgrimage tourism in Galicia bring 17% of the gross domestic product of the region," said Jorge Martinez Cava.

Burgas will launch the development of pilgrimage tourism with a specially created city route uniting key landmarks. "Walking route "Believe in Burgas" - from history to the doors of the temple" is the symbolic name of the tour. It will pass through 15 sites in the seaside town. These are the Tourist Information Center, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church "Surp Khach", Orthodox Church "Holy Mother of God", Synagogue - City Art Gallery with an exhibition on the 3rd floor "Strandzhanski Icons", Gramophone, Cultural Center "Sea Casino", Bridge, Pushkin Monument and Bust "Petko Zadgorski", Regional Library "P. K. Yavorov", Ethnographic Museum - Burgas, Cathedral Church "St. St. Cyril and Methodius", Compass - the zero kilometer of Burgas, Arch of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Catholic Latin Church "Holy Virgin Mary the Mother of God", Eastern Catholic Church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" and the building of the French Catholic boarding house.

The Tourist Information Center will offer the pilgrim passport with the corresponding stamp, which is an integral part of such a journey. Order yours here (www.caminobg.com) and start the journey like a true pilgrim. Stamps will also be available to tourists at two more points: the Ethnographic Museum - Burgas and the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius.

The Municipality of Burgas and the Association "Camino Bulgaria - Path to the Relics of St. John the Baptist" will work together to build the third route, which will be the connection of Burgas with the pilgrimage route from Malko Tarnovo to Sozopol. The idea is for the pilgrimage routes in the region to connect with an existing route in Romania and thus become part of the European Camino Compostela network.

In Burgas, marking signs for the city route are currently being developed, as well as an information sign that will be placed in the garden of the Church of St. Mary with all the points of the route.