War in the Middle East has tangible impact on the tourism sector

The National Tourism Board, which unites tourist associations, municipalities, major investors in the tourism industry and related economic sectors, celebrates its 20th anniversary with an anniversary initiative under the title "The Four Keys to Sustainable Tourism - Culture, Nature, Food and Innovation". However, in the Year of Cultural Tourism announced by the Ministry of Tourism, the industry is facing serious challenges due to the war in the Middle East and the loss of the Israeli market.

"Our role is to unite all our expertise, creativity and opportunities to move forward," says the board's executive director Polina Karastoyanova. According to her, after Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, along with political instability, the tourism sector is in a constant state of emergency. All this means that a new model of consolidation of the industry is needed, the formulation of major goals, a concept for the brand "Bulgaria" and tools that will make the country competitive and attractive in a new modern way.

In her welcome address to the first anniversary event - the conference "Culture. Tourism. Communications", the caretaker Minister of Tourism, Irena Georgieva, presented last year's results in the sector. According to data from the sociological agency "Trend", 76% of Bulgarians travelled for tourist purposes, 37% travelled only in Bulgaria, 31% combined trips in the country and abroad, and just 8% travelled only abroad. This means that for most Bulgarians, international tourism is a complement, not a substitute for domestic tourism.

"Bulgarians do not just travel, they actively seek and find diverse experiences in their own country," the minister pointed out. "Our compatriots strive for experiences, culture, nature and diversity and they increasingly find them in this country. Our task as a ministry responsible for the tourism industry is to turn this demand into a sustainable policy."

Today, unfortunately, we are increasingly talking about tourism in times of crisis.

"We could not have known that the military conflict in the Middle East would erupt before our eyes, literally in 24 hours,“ Polina Karastoyanova says. „We are making a new reading of the situation beyond the standard classic seasons. We tell about our history 365 days a year, show our culture with all available resources. Culture is another powerful mechanism for attracting the interest of tourists."

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According to the head of the National Tourism Board, the anti-crisis measures have three important elements. The first is related to the readiness of the relevant ministry to redirect funds from the budget for active advertising towards Bulgarian tourists, as well as in key markets such as Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Italy - including in the context of the Giro d'Italia.

"The second measure regarding tour operators is the urgent need to introduce a mechanism that enables clients who cannot travel to receive a voucher valid for six months for an alternative destination,“ Polina Karastoyanova says. „And the third is to introduce 9% VAT for restaurateurs. This is not a measure to reduce the final price, but to create business sustainability, an opportunity for entrepreneurs to preserve the model in the face of increasingly higher supplier prices and to give slightly higher salaries to their employees. It is important to say that Bulgaria is the only country in the eurozone that does not apply differentiated rate to all elements of the tourism product."

"The war in the Middle East is already having a direct and tangible impact on the tourism sector," Minister Irena Georgieva says. "The loss or sharp contraction of markets like Israel is affecting entire segments of the business - hotels, tour operators, airlines, restaurants, local economies. The tourism industry is clearly stating its concerns and demands for state marketing support, compensation for lost markets, accelerated diversification of tourist flows, and reduction of the administrative burden."

The Minister of Tourism emphasized that the domestic market is seen as the main driver and stabilizer of the sector. Targeted advertising campaigns for SPA, cultural, urban and ecotourism, as well as redirecting advertising to alternative and promising foreign markets are just some of the measures.

"The more important thing is not just to change the market, but to change the way Bulgaria presents itself - with a focus on security, authenticity, culture, nature, traditions, by promoting combined tourist products with high added value such as wine, culinary and medical tourism,“ Irena Georgieva says. „Bulgarian tourism has all the necessary resources for success, but only with joint efforts between the state, business and society can we overcome the crisis and emerge stronger and more responsible for the impeccable image of the tourist destination Bulgaria,“ Irena Georgieva adds. One of these ways is by promoting the country at events such as the anniversary initiative of the National Tourism Board.

"We are expecting you on April 21 in the University of Forestry, where nature with its diversity will be the focus,“ Polina Karastoyanova says. „On June 11, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary with an event that I will keep secret for now, so that it has its own surprising and impressive charge. In October, we will be at the University of Food Technology in Plovdiv, where food and wine will be the main focus. We believe that Bulgaria has perhaps the greatest potential to attractively present this wealth to its tourists, following the example of Italy, France, Spain and neighbouring Greece."