ABUJET is among the first members of World Federation of Travel Journalists & Writers - FIJET
In the remote 1956 in Sofia a group of tourism and travel journalists founded the Bulgarian Association of Travel Journalists and Writers (ABUJET) at the Bulgarian Journalists’ Union. The Bulgarian association joined FIJET at the congress in Cologne in 1957 - only a year after the first congress of FIJET, which is held in 1956 in Nice .
Today in ABUJET participate as members more than 60 journalists from the leading Bulgarian media, as well as writers and bloggers. ABUJET is the oldest branch professional journalistic organization in the country. Its main objective since the start is to unite journalists and writers, writing about tourism, and to promote Tourism in the country, as well as members’ publications both in Bulgaria and abroad. In spite of its many years of history, the youthful enthusiasm and friendship are governing in ABUJET. During this long period the organization has never discontinued its activities and has never been an arena for misconceptions or strife.
In 1979 the significant FIJET Golden Apple Award is awarded to the Rila monastery, which is in the UNESCO Heritage List. In 2016 Plovdiv becomes the second Bulgarian winner of the prestigious international journalistic award.
A few ABUJET members have held amenable positions in the management of the International Federation. Bogomil Nonev, Yassen Antov and Emil Alexandrov have all been Vice-presidents of FIJET. Iskra Koynova has been Financial Controller. From 2013 Plamen Starev is a Chairman of the FIJET Golden Apple International Committee. He is a member of the Board and of the Executive Committee of FIJET
The freedom of expression and the consolidation of human rights on the basis of democracy are fundamental principles set in the Bylaws of both ABUJET and FIJET. At their yearly meetings, journalists from all over the world exchange up-to-date information and seek the shortcuts to making tourism an international language of cooperation, friendship, and mutual aid that enables people, countries, interests, and cultures become closer to one another.
The Bulgarian association is managed by the Executive Committee. The supreme body of the Association is the General Assembly. The Financial controller is Slavyana Manolova.