site.btaTourism Minister for BTA: Over 56,000 Ukrainians Accommodated in Hotels, State Holiday Facilities

Over 56,000 Ukrainians are staying at accommodation establishments and State-owned holiday facilities at the moment, Tourism Minister Hristo Prodanov said in an interview for BTA. As the process of transferring part of Ukrainians from hotels to the State's holiday facilities is ongoing, the number of those accommodated at the facilities is yet to increase. 

More than 65 accommodation establishments in Sunny Beach, over 20 in Kiten, more than 15 in Poromorie and in Nessebar each, as well as in other Black Sea resorts have applied under the programme for humanitarian aid for displaced people from Ukraine. Among these establishments are hotels, guest houses and rooms, holiday facilities, and temporary protection sites. [The Government set up a programme for accommodating displaced people from Ukraine at State-owned holiday facilities after May 31 in a bid to help seaside accommodation establishments that took in refugees go back to their usual business in the summer.]

The State-owned holiday facilities offer normal living conditions; whether the Ukrainians will remain there or will decide to return home is hard to predict. As the number of Ukrainians to find jobs in Bulgaria is expected to increase, they will not need to use the programme, he noted. 

Asked about the tourist season, Prodanov said that this summer the domestic market remains a priority, but Bulgaria expects a significant number of tourists from Romania, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Israel, and the UK. Over 9,000 flights have been scheduled for the airports of Varna and Burgas this summer season, which is an increase from last year, but the data are dynamic due to the military conflict in Ukraine. 

No changes are expected in the foreign tourists' preferences: 4-star accommodation establishments along the coast, particularly the resorts of Sunny Beach, Golden Sands, and Albena, among others, Prodanov told BTA. There is high interest among foreigners in the 30-44 age group and families with children; young people are also showing interest in holidaying in this country.