site.btaAlbena Resort CEO: Tourists Arrive with Distrust and Leave in Fascination with Bulgarian Seaside

Addressing the BG Tourism - Summer 2024 forum here on Friday, Krassimir Stanev, CEO of the Albena resort complex, said that tourists are arriving at the Bulgarian seaside with distrust but are later leaving in fascination and wonder how no one knows what Bulgaria has in the heart of Europe.

He said he found reason for this in the low self-esteem of managers and directors and suggested the tourism sector to start working with more self-esteem and confidence.  

Despite a rough start for the tourist season, Stanev was hopeful that it would end well.

Stanev said: "Our business is doing so poorly that we have to rely on advice and help from everywhere. The media can help enormously in this difficult situation. Pandemics, wars, mistrust, all of this has a very negative effect."

The CEO spoke about instances in the past when he heard from people from the Netherlands who said that Bulgarians must be great at keeping secrets. The reasoning behind that statement was that nobody knew about the many a treasure present in the country. Stanev believes Bulgarian managers and directors should become more confident, when it comes to the tourism industry.

Among the solutions suggested by the expert were continuing to promote Bulgaria in Europe and speeding up the administrative process for issuing visas for Turkish citizens.

This is the fifth edition of BTA's tourism forums, which are held twice every year - at the beginning of the summer and winter tourist season, to bring together central and local government representatives, the tourist business, NGOs and experts to discuss the messages of Bulgarian tourism in the coming season.

Other participants in the discussion included the caretaker Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev, Parliamentary Tourism Committee Chair Erten Anisova, representatives of local authorities, heads of tourism organizations Black Sea resorts, educational institutions in the field of tourism, heads of national media.