Caretaker Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev noted on Friday in Varna that wild camping is one of the big issues for the Northern Black Sea coast. Miloshev took part in a discussion with representatives of the sector and the local authorities, with Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev acting as the host of the meeting.
Representatives of the sector suggested introducing a tourist police, but Miloshev said that this would require a thorough analysis and the development of a comprehensive concept. He added, however, that major tourist countries have such an authority.
He also pointed to the water supply in the Dobrich region as a problem and specified that the industry had also raised the issue of the implementation of a regulation on water rescue activities, which came into force at the beginning of April. The sector is unprepared for the new requirements, said Miloshev, adding that an urgent interdepartmental meeting will be held to seek a solution.
Speaking about the conditions of the Durankulak border crossing checkpoint, which is becoming an important route for tourists from Romania, Miloshev said that the capacity of the checkpoint is not particularly large, which creates tension.
Regarding the labour shortage in the region, he commented that the sector will be eased with the changes in the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, as the 90-day visa will now be able to be renewed on the territory of Bulgaria, without workers having to return to the country where it was issued. In addition, a mechanism is being introduced to extend the stay of employed foreigners. Miloshev added that changes for the type D visa, which is valid for 9 months at the moment, are also planned.
Miloshev also said that the increase of vacationers in Bulgaria will probably be within 5% to 10% in 2024. He appealed to the Bulgarian media to consider that tourism is an extremely sensitive sector when publishing information, as foreign tourists are strongly influenced by media publications.
/DT/
