Caretaker Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov said here on Monday that he expects the coming winter tourist season to be even better than last year's, which was record-breaking. Dimitrov spoke to the media after attending an opening ceremony of a deep tech innovation port in the Varna University of Economics.
Dimitrov said his favourable assessment is based on preliminary booking data, which he said were very good - the number of tourists was 13% below the level of the pre-pandemic 2019, which had set a record high. "Bookings proceed very well. I hope that we will have a good season," he said, adding that growth is reported in several markets, among them Britain and Israel, where Bulgaria is regaining its strong position.
According to Dimitrov, the flow of visitors from the United Kingdom, Israel and Poland to Bulgaria has stabilized, but the German market is yet to recover. A five-day Bulgaria Travel fair will begin in Poland on October 24, with many Bulgarian companies taking part. If the forum proves effective, similar events will also be held in other attractive source market countries.
Between January and September 2022, Bulgarians accounted for 54% of tourists in this country, according to the minister. He explained the good booking data with the effective advertising, quality services, as well as the relatively low prices here compared to the prices in Western Europe.
Dimitrov said his Ministry has come up with a proposal for compensations in the sector for the high gas and power prices, but this will depend on the new Parliament which is to pass the 2023 budget. He said that the lower VAT rate of 9% in tourism has been suggested to be kept due to its effectiveness.
Dimitrov also said that the money for tourism advertising and promotion needs to be several times higher than what is being spent now. In his words, Bulgaria now spends BGN 18 million to advertise its tourism, while its neighbours and also rivals Turkey and Greece spend the equivalent of BGN 511 million and BGN 250 million respectively.
The minister said a proposal has been made to amend the Public Procurement Act to allow direct advertising in social media without the need to hold bidding for it. Dimitrov said that digitization should be a priority as 71% of purchases of tourist services take place via smart phones "and our task is to be present in the phones and portable devices of the Europeans".
Dimitrov predicted a robust winter tourism season in Bulgaria. With energy resources still posing a challenge, it is necessary to keep the electricity price cap and introduce a similar price limit on natural gas, he insisted. This winter, tourists are expected to exceed the very high number of last winter by between 5% and 7%. He warned, however, that hotel owners may be unable to resist the pressure and some will stay closed from the very beginning of the season, unless there is a price cap on the energy resources they need.
The event in Varna was also attended by Innovation and Growth Minister Alexander Pulev.
/ZD/
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