site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Central, Local Government Officials, Tourist Sector Discuss Messages for New Tourist Season

Representatives of the caretaker Cabinet and local governments and the tourist sector are meeting in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Albena Friday to discuss Bulgaria's message for the new tourist season. The forum is organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). In his opening remarks, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said that it has been the fifth edition of BTA's tourism message forum, which is held twice every year - at the beginning of the summer and winter tourist season.

He recalled the significance of these meetings for the tourist sector in Bulgaria. He suggested that Bulgaria could turn into an advantage for Bulgaria some trends in the Europe-wide tourist sector, or emphasize its geography and weather. He suggested two possible messages: "You are welcome in Bulgaria", a counterpoint to the sentiments against tourists in some parts of Europe, and "Warm but not hot", amid the warnings of extreme heat during the summer months in some parts of Europe.

Valchev pointed out that Albena, where the discussion is taking place, celebrates 55 years this year. "After last year we celebrated the 115th anniversary of the resort of St. St. Constantine and Helena, we can say for sure that Bulgaria has traditions in tourism that go beyond our generation and our goal is to present these traditions well," he said.

He reminded the participants of the messages that emerged during previous editions of the forum. "In the summer of 2020 in Varna we came to the conclusion that the most important message for Bulgaria was that it is a safe destination. In the winter of 2022 in Bansko, when restrictions on electricity, hot water, working hours were set in place at many places in Europe as energy-saving measure after the war in Ukraine started, the message that shaped the tourism business was that a Bulgaria holiday would be without any restrictions. In the summer of 2023 in Burgas, at a time when prices all over the world were rising very fast and holidays were becoming costlier or, to keep the price down, investments in tourist facilities were heavily reduced, Bulgaria kept unchanged or nearly unchanged its tourist prices. The message then was 'Bulgaria: more value - same price," the BTA director said. 

Participating are caretaker Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev, the Chair of the Parliamentary committee on tourism, Erten Anisova, the Presidential Secretary for Culture, Education and Tourism Ilin Dimitrov, Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, Pomorie Mayor Ivan Alexiev, more local government representatives, heads of organizations in the tourism business and resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, educational institutions in the field of tourism, heads of national media.