site.btaTourism Minister Promises Camping Tourism Development Strategy by May

Bulgaria is completely unknown as a camping tourism destination, although it can offer excellent conditions and has the potential to further develop this sector, said Tourism Minister Hristo Prodanov. When asked by BTA, he confirmed that a strategy development project is expected to be completed by May of this year. His team is also drafting legislation on the rules to regulate this type of tourism. Prodanov was hopeful that by the end of 2022, there will be clear rules created in cooperation with all parties involved with this industry.

On Friday, the minister opened the trade fair dedicated to outdoor activities Camping & Caravaning Expo in Sofia. The three-day event is expected to have more than 15,000 visitors who can see 50 different exhibitors, expo organizer Veselin Valev told BTA. The fair features manufacturers and importers of motorhomes, campervans and caravans, tents, camping equipment, solar systems. Three Bulgarian-made caravans will be presented to the public for the first time. The Ministry of Tourism is also participating with a separate stand.

When asked by reporters about the number of campsites in this country in line with EU requirements, Prodanov said there are 12 of them. In comparison, the number of such sites in France is over 8,000. Prodanov pointed out that developing camping tourism here can boost the local economies of relatively vulnerable regions across the country, adding that camping is particularly popular when pandemic restrictions are in force.

Valev said that no Bulgarian institution, Traffic Police included, is aware of the number of campervan owners in the country, because their vehicles are not registered under a separate category. Their number is probably in the tens of thousands, he added, and likely to rise.

Valev quoted data of about 130 campsites in Bulgaria. Their number has been growing by at least 10 every year. The sites are scattered across the country, with some 40 per cent being located on the Black Sea coast. The most popular destinations are the seacoast, Veliko Tarnovo, Southwestern Bulgaria: the Rhodope mountain, the Rose valley, the Sub-Balkan valleys, along the Struma River. The coast along the Danube has also been developing as a camping destination over recent years.

North-eastern Bulgaria, excluding the coast, is yet to be developed as a camping destination and offers great opportunities in that area, Valev said. In terms of investments, opening a campsite here is similar to opening a hotel: it requires buying the land, building facilities, applying for permits, the expo organizer commented.