26/09/2026
GRIFID Noa hosted the annual meeting of the TUI leadership team. Alongside TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel, we welcomed Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov, greeted on behalf of GRIFID Hotels by owner Grigor Fidanov and CEO Tanya Tsvetanova. The conversation centred on how Bulgaria can welcome more guests, for longer, and with ever higher quality.
Sebastian Ebel said he had learned a great deal about Bulgaria that he could never have discovered from afar. "What I've seen here is amazing," he added. He also appreciated that people here are happy to welcome more guests, which is not the case everywhere. "We are ready to grow the business," he said, "and the very warm welcome has helped us a lot."
Tanya Tsvetanova spoke about quality as something guests feel for themselves. GRIFID Noa is one of our eight hotels, and guests everywhere say the same thing on social media: the staff are wonderful and always smiling. "This is the reality," she said. She asked the room whether they knew how many TUI awards GRIFID hotels have received, and the answer is 23. She also thanked TUI for its quality system, which she always holds up as an example.
For Sebastian Ebel, quality is also at the heart of everything. TUI has always focused on the premium segment and works mainly with four- and five-star hotels. He also spoke about tourism as a force that brings people closer. "Tourism is a source of good," he said. "When you get to know people, you bring them closer together, and the world becomes a better place".
Minister Ilin Dimitrov spoke about the memorandum signed the day before, which will make support for investors faster and more transparent. "We choose quality over quantity," he said, and invited the guests to promote Bulgaria as the rising star of the Black Sea coast. Turning to Grigor Fidanov, he added with a smile that this goal is close to his heart too.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev lightened the mood with a joke about his new role: "As president, 80% of your time is taking pictures, 10% speaking and 10% smiling. Now 80% of my job is actual work." He went on to describe Germany as Bulgaria's strategic partner and tourism as a gateway to investment. His closing words stayed with us: what the world lacks today is trust in people and the ability to understand other cultures, and tourism offers exactly that.
We thank all our guests for the open conversation and the GRIFID Noa team for the care with which they welcomed them.
