site.btaA to JazZ Director Says Tourism Strategy Unchanged Since 2017

A to JazZ Festival Director Petar Dimitrov said at the Culture. Tourism. Communications. conference on Tuesday that Bulgaria’s tourism strategy has not been updated since 2017. He argued that the lack of an updated strategy lies behind many of the sector’s problems.

The event is organized by the National Tourism Board and is held at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies.

Dimitrov said tourists no longer look only for inexpensive destinations, but for new experiences. He added that saturated Western markets view Bulgaria as an exotic destination on the edge of Europe, while the country is gradually losing its price advantage and becoming more expensive.

“We are neglecting the segment of high-quality tourists, which generates the highest added value, and this is precisely where cultural events come in,” he said.

Dimitrov also said the cultural sector generates economic value that institutions do not sufficiently understand. No one is collecting data on culture’s real economic contribution, while cultural organizations need more diversified budgets and should not rely solely on state funding, he added.

Culture and tourism go hand in hand at all levels, Dimitrov said. Institutions therefore need a better understanding of what the cultural sector produces and how it functions. “We are not seasonal workers. Just as the tourism industry is never on vacation, the cultural sector also works year-round,” he said.

The conference is part of a series of events marking the National Tourism Board’s 20th anniversary under the motto The 4 Keys to Sustainable Tourism: Culture, Nature, Food, and Innovation. The initiative is under the patronage of President Iliana Iotova, with the institutional partnership of the Tourism Ministry. BTA is a media partner.