The Bulgarian Black Sea town of Sozopol is among the finalists contending for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)'s website.

Sozopol is competing in the "Destination" category for 2015, with Slovenian capital Ljubljana and Taiwan's northeastern coast also being in the list. "Destination" is one of the five categories which also include "Community", "Environment", "Innovation" and "People".

"Preserving a town's heritage while ensuring it meets the demands of the present, is always a challenge. Doing it when your town's history stretches back to 611 B.C. is even harder. That the Bulgarian seaside town of Sozopol has done all this while ensuring the highest levels of inclusive access is what makes it a finalist for the Destination Award," Sozopol's description on the website reads.

The WTTC has praised Sozopol for managing to return to sustainability compared to 2003, when the coastline "was dirty, strewn with waste and there were constant leaks from the sewers."

The summary ends with the conclusion that "Sozopol is putting Bulgaria's ancient heritage back on the map."

Winners will be announced on April 15. In the following two-and-a-half months, all nominated spots will be overseen and inspected by members of the WTTC.

Data published on the WTTC's website suggests travel and tourism account for 9.5% of global GDP.

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