Late start for the summer season in Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova, on 7 May said that there is readiness to start the summer tourist season as early as 1 July.

Until and after 13 June there are no cancelled charter flights, and from 1 June the beaches are ready. Three main measures are being prepared to support tourism.

First, from 13 May, when the state of emergency is lifted, the ban on the Minister for tourist trips is lifted. According to the Minister, this will allow people to freely visit guest houses, as well as small hotels, of course, in compliance with health requirements, she explained.

In addition, steps are being prepared for the concessionaires of the beaches, and the concession fee will be forgiven up to 100%. In return, they have to provide beach accessories for free.

In case the discount from the concession fee is smaller, for example 20%, the prices of sunbeds and umbrellas on the beaches should be reduced as well.

In this regard, the Minister explained that a change is being prepared as to which part of the beaches should be a free zone and on which part the cafes should be located.

The Minister explained that at the moment it is not possible to check whether the guest houses and hotels comply with all the requirements, as they currently have no guests.

It is proposed to extend the period in which tourists who have prepaid their trips can receive their money for up to 12 months.