Israeli tourism minister to hold ceremony at site of Burgas terror attack

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov will travel to Bulgaria Monday in an effort to bolster tourism ties following the deadly terror attack that killed five Israelis in the resort city of Burgas last week. Misezhnikov is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and President Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria and to hold a memorial ceremony at the site of the attack.

According to a Tourism Ministry statement, Misezhnikov will travel with a delegation of prominent members of Israel’s tourism sector.

“Terrorism will not disrupt our lives and stop our aspirations,” Misezhnikov said. He encouraged the public to keep traveling, since meeting people from other countries and visiting different cultures was important, and said that “tourism is a bridge to peace.” He thanked the Bulgarian government for its cooperation and its “dedicated treatment following the tragic terror attack.”

In 2011 almost 140,000 Israelis visited the Black Sea country, while roughly 8,000 Bulgarians visited Israel. According to ministry figures, during the first half of 2012, the number of Bulgarian tourists in Israel increased by 11 percent.

“When terrorism hit Israel in the past” the world warned against traveling to Israel, Misezhnikov said. “Our reaction was clear: murderous terrorism knows no boundaries and does not differentiate between the blood of man.” Israelis must not be deterred and will not be broken, he declared.

Sourced: timesofisrael