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Will we go to Bulgaria this summer at sea? And how will the authorities organize and control the conditions for safe rest? In the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, this problem is no longer hypothetical, but literally life or death.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism has developed a strategy for the summer season beginning on July 1, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov expects the opening of small hotels and guest houses in May, and the tourism industry expects good results from the meeting of EU tourism ministers. Because in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, the safety requirements of vacationers will be greater than ever.
Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova explained yesterday on BNR that the preparation of uniform rules aims to avoid chaos, “even with respect to the gradual opening of the borders.” According to Angelkova, the economic measures package, which the EC is preparing to recover from the crisis, will require tourism funds to be around 20% and have a separate tool for the sector. For the lack of such in the Bulgarian measures, he was criticized by local tour operators and hoteliers, and his organizations even demanded his resignation.
How big is Bulgarian tourism?
According to national statistics for 2019, tourism spending for Bulgarians was worth around 2 billion levs, with just over half going to travel to the country. It has managed to attract the mass-dominated tourism sector, with foreign tourists mainly coming from neighboring Bulgaria. This is also the reason why hopes are now reassigned mainly to the “neighbors” who, among other things, can also come with their cars. For 2019, the largest number of tourists came from Romania, followed by Greeks, Germans, Turks and Macedonians. The sector’s contribution to gross domestic product in 2019 is close to 12%. Otherwise, tourism is one of the lowest average wages.
Mobility Market Outlook estimates that, as a result of the coronavirus crisis, world tourism revenue will decrease by at least 34% compared to last year. According to Minister Angelkova, most companies in the Bulgarian tourism sector expect losses of between 50% and 100%.
Who wants what and what gives
Faced with the threat of empty hotels and bankruptcies, heterogeneous organizations in the tourism industry are demanding swift action: no visas for Russian tourists, a special visa regime for Turkish citizens, legal regulation of coupons and financial guarantees for them, reduced airport fees and tax-free charter fuel, financial support for the Bulgarian airline Bulgaria Air, interest-free loans, suspension of all public payments for 6 months, etc. Their surveys that the 60/40 survey does not work in the tourism industry confirm their criticism and statistics, according to which only 17.6% of tourism managers benefited from it, and 15.1% remotely. of work.
Minister Angelkova has already responded to the protectionist idea of coupons for all Bulgarians who choose the Black Sea coast or other native resorts. The value of these coupons has yet to be calculated. In addition, the mayors of the maritime communities will discuss which beaches can be used to introduce umbrellas and deck chairs at symbolic prices, so that there is a greater distance between vacationers. However, this would mean a decrease in the revenues of the beach concessionaires, which would also result in a renegotiation of the concession fee. And, according to a recent NSI survey, more than 60% of hoteliers plan to cut package prices. Overnight accommodation rates will drop to more than half of respondents.
Life and death
In three days, Minister Angelkova indicated two different dates for the opening of the summer season: on April 23 she announced that she expected the season to start on June 15, and on April 26 she was already talking about July 1. However, according to unofficial information, the mainstream is expected to occur in August. And that means that most hotels are unlikely to open in July.
How the Bulgarian authorities will organize and control the conditions for a safe vacation at the resorts: this question is no longer just hypothetical, but literally life and death. The battle for tourists this summer will be fierce. Greece also plans to open the season from July 1. With its 9.3 million tourists in 2019, Bulgaria cannot reach the record of 33 million people who have visited Greece. And in late February it became clear that the new plan for Tsarevo calls for serious construction on the southern shore of the Black Sea. In other words, the misfortune with the concreting of the small beach in Bulgaria continues. Then it will only happen with cheap accommodation.
Bulgaria
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