With more than 25 years of experience in tourism and travel, Lachezar Todorov started his carrier in travel management and tour operation in 1990 in Carlson Wagonlit Travel as an intern. By 1995 he became an account manager in the same company, responsible for the key accounts the company provided services to in Bulgaria. 2001 marked a serious professional change, when he joined the newly established group of companies around Terra Tour Service EOOD, which concentrate the private investment in the area of tourism and hospitality of Agrohold AD, originally as CEO of Relax Plus AD and later on as CEO of the mother company itself. In 2001 he also became the CEO of the travel agency and tour-operator of the group – Hornit OOD.

In the following years Lachezar helped concentrate the investment efforts and was instrumental for the growth of the company, which nowadays owns four hotel properties (SUNEO Helios Beach, RIU Helios Bay, ClubHotel RIU Helios Paradise and RIU Helios) along the Black Sea Coast and another two (RIU Pravets Resort and Pravets Palace) in the area of Pravets. The company currently owns over 1 700 hotel units, to which another 600 will be added in 2019, when the last two projects (Hyatt Regency Sofia and RIU Palace Sunny Beach) are expected to come into operation.

His professional experience grew with his extensive involvement in the relationship with the international hotel management companies, like RIU and Hyatt International and more recently Marriott International, Accor Group and IHG. On the tour-operating site, Lachezar is well respected due to his long and fruitful history with all tour-operators from the group of TUI, as well as other international and local ones, doing business across Europe, Russia and the CIS countries.

Although hospitality represents the most significant part of the investments of TTS EOOD, the company has also tried and been successful in other tourism related projects, like the 18-hole Peter Harradine designed Pravets Golf Course, as well as the four hunting concessions, covering some of the best areas for hunting tourism in the country. Terra Tour Service EOOD, has also involved in some real estate investment with two projects – Helios Beach Apartments in Pomorie (now successfully completed) and Pravets Residence, where the company is actively involved as a property manager of the complex, consisting of residential apartments and villas.

Lachezar is a member of the National Tourism Board of Bulgaria and one of the most respected Bulgarian professionals in investments projects and personnel management, finance and strategic planning. Popular speaker at real estate and tourism investment forums in the country and abroad.

Lachezar graduated the Moscow State Institute for International Relations in 1991 with Master’s degree in international relations. Married, with four children and resides in Sofia.

Yordanka Fandakova is Mayor of Sofia since 2009. She was born in the city of Samokov on 12 April 1962 and studied Russian Philology at St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University. She started her career as a teacher in 1988. Before going into politics, Fandakova became principal at her school and held the post for seven years until 2005. In the period of 2007 to 2009 she was Deputy Mayor for “Culture, Education and Sports”.

In 2007 Fandakova also started the municipal programs “Culture” and “Europe”, in which to date in more than 700 projects over 6 million Bulgarian Lev (3 million Euros) have been invested. In addition she implemented reforms covering municipal theaters and participated in the development of the long-term strategy for cultural development “Sofia-creative capital” (2013-2023). Sofia’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2019 was initiated by Fandakova as well. She is married and has one daughter.

Renata Pindžo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration (FEFA), Belgrade. She holds lectures at the Academy of Applied Science, College of Tourism, Belgrade. Since October 2021, she has been Communication director at the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) in the Republic of Serbia and founder of Tourism & Hospitality Commitee.

From July 2008 to October 2021, she was in charge of the tourism sector as Deputy Minister in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Since 2013, she has been a member of the National Council for Tourism Development of the Republic of Serbia. Ms. Pindžo graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, where she obtained a Master’s degree in 2003. In May 2011, she received her Ph.D. degree.

Furthermore, her experience includes more than 13 years in management consulting and financial advisory services. She has gained knowledge by providing consulting services to many domestic and international companies, including financial institutions and local municipalities during her employment at Deloitte.

Also, as a consultant, she was engaged at the Economics Institute and on the World Bank`s projects related to privatization, restructuring, and improving the competitiveness of the Serbian economy. She has cooperated with many international institutions (USAID, EAR, EBRD, OECD, SDC, DFID, and GIZ) on complex projects of restructuring the Serbian economy. Also, she was the focal point on the behalf of the Republic of Serbia (tourism field) in the following organizations and regional initiatives: UNWTO, BSEC, RCC, EUSAIR, EUSDR. Ms. Pindžo is the author of more than 80 scientific papers.

Son of King Boris III and Queen Giovanna, Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha was born on June 16, 1937 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Upon the sudden death of King Boris III on August 28, 1943, the 6-year old Simeon acceded to the throne as Tsar* Simeon II. A three-member Council of Regency was formed to govern Bulgaria on his behalf. Following the communist coup on September 9, 1944, Simeon II remained on the throne but the regents, including his uncle Prince Kyril, along with the core of the country’s intellectuals, were executed. In 1946, a referendum forced King Simeon II, his sister Princess Maria Luisa and the Queen Mother Giovanna to leave Bulgaria. Without abdicating, the young King was to spend long years of exile. The family settled first in Alexandria, Egypt. The choice was not accidental. The Italian King Victor Emmanuel III, the father of the Queen Mother Giovanna, lived there in exile. Simeon II was enrolled at the Victoria College in Egypt.

In July 1951, the Spanish Government granted asylum to the exiled Bulgarian royal family. In Madrid, Simeon II graduated from the Lycée Français and read law and political sciences. In 1958-1959 he enrolled at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States, where he graduated as second lieutenant.

In 1962 Simeon II married a Spanish aristocrat, Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela. They have five children – four sons and a daughter.

Simeon II Saxe-Coburg Gotha maintained broad international contacts with the business community and his manifold activities have led him to travel frequently worldwide. Throughout the years of exile he closely followed developments in his country and kept abreast of everything regarding Bulgaria. He worked actively with Bulgarian emigrants worldwide and helped many fellow countrymen.

In 1996 Simeon II paid a maiden visit to Bulgaria after almost 50 years of exile.

In 1998, the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria ruled to restore to his family the royal estates, which had been nationalized by the communists.

On April 6, 2001 Simeon II proclaimed his decision to return for good and to contribute actively to the country’s revival, by employing the experience and contacts he had amassed in exile.

In a historic address to the Bulgarian nation he proclaimed his intention to form a new political entity – the National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) – dedicated to high political morale and integrity. As the leader of the Movement, after overcoming the stumbling blocks on the way to registering the Movement in court, the Bulgarian King joined the parliamentary elections on June 17, 2001.

After a landslide victory for the NMSII, Simeon II Saxe-Coburg Gotha was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria on July 24, 2001. He completed a successful 4-year term of office in a government coalition with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – the first post-communist cabinet to end its mandate with enhanced public approval. During the term of the NMSII governance, Bulgaria attained the strategic national ideals of joining NATO and signing the Treaty of Accession to the European Union.

Following the 2005 parliamentary elections, Simeon II Saxe-Coburg Gotha joined the ruling Council of the tripartite coalition of BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party), NMSII and MRF, which formed the cabinet.

By a Presidential Decree of June 15, 2001, Simeon II Saxe-Coburg Gotha was awarded the highest state distinction – the Stara Planina Order First Degree – for his exceptional service to Bulgaria.

Simeon II Saxe-Coburg Gotha has been decorated with more than 30 other distinctions, including the highest class of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III, the Grand Officer class of the French Legion of Honor, the Belgian Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II, the Islamic Grand Cross of the Order of Independence of Jordan, the Greek Grand Cross of the Saviour, the Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Grand Cross of the Order of Malta, Kinght of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Knight Grand-Cross of Honour and Devotion, as well as with the highest classes of a number of European Dynastic orders.

Monday 9 May 2022 – Ministerial Roundtable

What is driving investments in Travel and Tourism sector?

Welcome Notes & Global Economic Outlook 2022 by Scott Livermore, Oxford Economics

Reenergizing air connectivity to support tourism growth in the Middle East

How the Middle East is reinventing the financing of future tourism projects?

The economic integration of women through the tourism industry

Destination Focus – Investment Opportunities – Ras Al Khaimah forges ahead

Presentations of Tourism Projects Financing

Unlocking new mode of payments in the travel and tourism industry

Enhancing tourism resilience to mitigate the impact of future crises and improved financing through better preparedness & Closing

Watch Global Tourism Resilience Forum 2022