Sofia, April 06, (BTA/GNA) – Nearly 1.7 million bookings have been made for the 2022-2023 winter tourism season in Bulgaria, up 24% from the previous season, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov said on National Television Thursday morning.
Bulgaria was promoted as a winter holiday destination mainly in the neighbouring countries and in Britain and Israel.
Nine per cent more Bulgarians opted for a winter holiday in their own country. Six per cent more foreigners arrived, compared to 2019. “We finally realized that round-the-year resorts and spas bring far greater added value,” the interviewee pointed out.
His Ministry contemplates to initiate a contest for 28 vocational secondary schools countrywide, enabling the Bulgarian hospitality industry to retain the school leavers. “We are now training more cooks than IT professionals but they tend to be lost somewhere down the chain,” Dimitrov added. He specified that the industry is understaffed by 35,000 to 40,000 people and that over 20,000 foreigners are hired here.
“Apart from promoting Bulgaria, we are tasked with improving quality,” the Minister argued, adding that tourism needs rebranding and a new image. This would boost budget revenue.
The 4.8 million tourists expected in this country in the summer of 2023 are between 5 and 7% more compared to 2019. “Only an exacerbation of the conflict in Ukraine can reverse this trend,” Dimitrov commented.
He said that Bulgaria is posting a tourism attache in Poland and plans to send such attaches to other countries, too, including Romania.
BTA/GNA