Bulgaria loses over 70,000 Israeli tourists due to Middle East conflict

The state needs to help attract new tourists after people from the Middle East cancelled their vacations because of the ongoing conflict. This position was expressed by the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA) in a letter to caretaker Minister of Tourism, Irena Georgieva.

According to BHRA, particular focus should be placed on incentives to attract Bulgarian tourists, given that potential competitor countries are facing a loss of visitors who will be seeking alternative destinations.

• Bulgaria’s tourism grows 5.8% in 2025
• Successes but also a sense of uncertainty:behind the scenes of tourism in 2025

If the government does not assist the tourism sector in offsetting the cancellations by Israeli tourists—whose numbers for Bansko and the Northern Black Sea coast are estimated at over 70,000—staff layoffs could follow, BHRA warns. The Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association emphasizes that such incentives would be more effective than spending funds from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to support laid-off workers.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov