No reason for great optimism about Bulgaria's summer tourist season

The tourism sector is now almost at the levels seen last summer, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov told reporters in Varna. According to him, the season got off to a difficult start due to problems in the German market.

Tourist registrations totaled around 1.61 million in July, compared with 1.65 million in the same month last year. “More importantly, however, we need to look at whether there are differences in package prices and in the length of guests’ stays,” the minister stressed.

According to Ilin Dimitrov, the data will be released in late September or early October, when the entire tourist season will be analyzed in detail. “Certainly, we cannot speak of a catastrophe, but there is no reason for great optimism either. Overall, the summer season will be similar to last year’s,” he said emphatically.

This summer, Bulgaria has 26 beaches and six marinas awarded Blue Flag status, but the goal is to increase the number to 40, and work is actively underway with concession holders to achieve this. The minister highlighted as a positive development that Bulgaria ranks third in Europe for bathing-water quality, according to data from the European Environment and Water Association.

Edited by Diana Tsankova