site.btaInflation Forced Hoteliers to Diversify Offers, Summer Was Challenging yet Successful - Tourism Expert

Inflation this year forced hoteliers on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast to diversify their tourist packages as much as possible, the chair of the Varna Association of Restaurants and Hotels (VARH), Pavlin Kosev, told BTA. The expert called the 2022 summer season "challenging yet successful".

The biggest problem was the constantly rising prices, especially of food products. The season started late but continued throughout September. According to Kosev, even now, in early October, some hotels in the resorts near Varna are full. The best managers in the region managed to surpass the 2019 results, which is largely considered the most successful year for Bulgarian tourism.

This year, Varna saw the highest number of guests from Romania, Poland, and Czechia. There was also a significant number of Bulgarian tourists. Kosev said that a silver lining to the COVID pandemic was that it helped Bulgarians rediscover and better appreciate the local tourism and the quality of its services.

The VARH head said that tourists today try to combine different types of tourism, such as religious or gambling - few are the ones content with just lying on the beach everyday throughout their entire vacation.

Kosev is an optimist for the 2023 summer here, as long as the hospitality industry is able to achieve "good management".

Kosev as well as Varna Mayor Ivan Portnih attended the opening of the Destination Varna Expo, which is taking place between October 7 and 9. The forum is organized by ProVox and VARH, in cooperation with Varna Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism.

Before the official unveiling of the exposition, Varna Municipality's Sonya Georgieva said that a 13-minute film called Golden Varna was produced. The film marks 50 years since the oldest gold treasure in the world was discovered near Varna. The artifacts date back to 4600-4,200 BCE. According to Georgieva, both a Bulgarian and an English version of Golden Varna will be released in social media.

Georgieva said that Varna will be presented in the November tourism expos in London and Leipzig, as well as the 2023 forums in Berlin and Stuttgart.