Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association Warns of Potential Loss of 80,000 Tourists from Middle East

The State should help attract new tourists following cancellations by visitors from the Middle East due to the military conflict in the region, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA) said in a letter to Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva signed by the organisation's chair Georgi Shterev, the Association said on March 9.

The US and Israeli attack on Iran triggered widespread flight disruptions in the Middle East and beyond after several countries closed their airspace and three key airports connecting Europe, Africa and the West with Asia suspended operations. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded or redirected.

According to the BHRA, particular attention should be given to incentives to attract Bulgarian tourists to domestic destinations, especially as competing summer holiday destinations are also facing a decline in tourists who will be looking for alternative travel options.

If the State does not help the tourism sector compensate for cancellations by Israeli tourists, whose number for Bansko and the Northern Black Sea coast alone is estimated at over 70,000, businesses will be forced to lay off part of their staff, the Association warned. In that case, the State would have to allocate funds for social support for those left without work.

The BHRA argued that such incentives would be more reasonable and effective than spending funds from the Labour Ministry on assistance for dismissed workers.

The Executive Bureau of the BHRA also supports a proposal by its regional structure, the Bansko Tourism Business Union, to assist the tourism sector in connection with the military conflict in the Middle East. The organization called for the request to be examined at the relevant institutional level and for measures to be taken to provide financial support for employees in the tourism sector, which would help guarantee the sector's stability.

The Association stressed that cancellations by guests from the Middle East are not only a problem for winter tourism but for holiday tourism as a whole and pose a serious challenge for the upcoming summer season.

According to the BHRA, the Bulgarian domestic market is the largest reserve for compensating for losses caused by cancellations by tourists from the Middle East. The organization therefore expects the State to take measures to stimulate the domestic market and support the tourism sector given the complex situation related to the conflict in the Middle East.

Data from the National Statistical Institute show that the total number of visits to Bulgaria by Israeli citizens in 2025 was 219,067. During the active winter season - January, February and March - their numbers were 15,167, 16,224 and 18,479 respectively, while in the summer months of July and August they were 29,062 and 37,676.