- Bulgarian tourism has changed significantly in recent years. What is being offered now can compete in quality with countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Prices in Bulgaria are very attractive.
- Everything achieved in Bulgarian tourism has been done thanks to private business. 98% of the property in the tourism sector of our economy is in private hands. Private owners have realized that the only chance to survive in this competitive environment is to invest in quality, and they have done so. Just before this season, on a single resort - Slanchev Bryag - about 15 hotels were built and modernized. An aqua park is already operating at the Golden Sands resort. On July 28, a similar one should open in Slanchev Bryag.
Large investments are being made in the development of ski tourism infrastructure. I think that in a year or a year and a half this direction will become as competitive by world standards as our sea tourism has already become.
But everything invested is paying off. In the difficult situation, when stagnation in the European tourism market continues for the second year, Bulgaria is among the ten most successful countries receiving tourists. Last year, the number of foreign guests increased by almost 9%. In total, we received about 3 million foreign vacationers. And most importantly for us, financial revenues from international tourism increased by 11%. This trend - income growth outpacing the growth in the number of tourists - indicates qualitative changes in the industry. Experts estimate that tourism creates about 12% of Bulgaria's gross domestic product, and 400 thousand Bulgarians are directly or indirectly employed in this industry, i.e. about 10% of those working in the country.
- Since the entire tourism industry in Bulgaria is private, what levers of influence on this business do you have as a state representative?
- In the process of privatization of tourism facilities in Bulgaria, there were pros and cons, but the main thing is that this process, with all its pros and cons, has already been completed. Currently, a reform of the tourism management system is taking place under new conditions. Last year, a law on tourism was adopted, which proceeds from the fact that the state should now regulate the tourism industry rather than manage property in it. This year, relevant by-laws have been developed.
The economic program of the Bulgarian government states that tourism (along with agriculture, energy, and new technologies) is a priority direction for development. Our main task is to create conditions in this sphere in which business could develop independently and sustainably. In particular, we have achieved a reduction in the value added tax for tourism enterprises to 7% (in all other sectors of the Bulgarian economy it is 20%).
To stimulate communities where the unemployment rate is higher than the national average, we have introduced a zero profit tax rate in such areas. This measure affected a total of 120 communities across the country, mostly located in the western and central regions, but two of them are on the Black Sea coast. Thus, an additional incentive is created for business development there, including tourism.
We are pursuing a policy of decentralization of management in the tourism sector. In all bodies formed in accordance with the new law, a parity principle applies: 50% of the members of any commission represent state bodies, 50% the private sector, both at the national and local levels.
- How do you assess the prospects of this summer season and, first of all, the prospects of increasing the number of vacationers from the countries of the former Union?
- This year the season started normally. If everything continues this way (I mean the weather and all other circumstances), we expect an 8-12% growth in both the number of guests and revenues. This year the weather favored a very long winter season. The situation turned out paradoxical: the first charters with vacationers to the sea arrived on April 14, and the last ones under the ski program on April 24.
In relations between Bulgaria and your country, tourism has traditionally been a notable part. We cannot return to the times of trade union vouchers, but I am happy to note that in the new conditions Bulgaria is restoring its position in your tourism market. The introduction of visas had its impact. We did not have great optimism about this, but we are pleased that thanks to our efforts and the efforts of our colleagues from the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the reduction in the flow of, for example, Russian tourists remained within 20-25%. About 100 thousand Russians vacationed with us last year. In the Ukrainian market, we apparently did not make all the necessary efforts, and the tourist flow from there after the introduction of visas fell by 40%.
- Bulgaria has visa-free relations with its neighbors on the Balkan Peninsula and with many Western countries that provide you with the bulk of tourists. It turns out that among the states that generate a significant tourist flow to Bulgaria, measured in tens of thousands of people per year, only Russia has a visa regime with your country?
- Of course, the majority of tourists come to us from neighboring countries: Greece, the republics of the former Yugoslavia - all of them have agreements on visa-free travel. The number of tourists from Germany is growing rapidly. Last year there were about 500 thousand of them. They also do not need visas. Citizens of almost all European countries can come to Bulgaria without a visa, just as Bulgarians can go there without a visa. Visa relations were established simultaneously with Russia with Ukraine and Belarus.
A visa for Bulgaria is also required, for example, for citizens of Israel. A couple of years ago, when there was a direct flight Sofia - Tel Aviv, they came to us quite actively. But after the bankruptcy of the Bulgarian airline "Balkan" and the closure of this flight, Israeli tourists became few. That is, in this case, visas did not hinder a large tourist flow until factors of a different kind intervened. We are now beginning to develop the Japanese market, whose citizens require visas to Bulgaria. Until now, few of them came - 8,000 last year, but the potential is very large.