Priorities, objectives and work programme of the Ministry of Tourism during the 8th caretaker cabinet

The Ministry of Tourism, within the 8th caretaker government with Prime Minister Galab Donev, will be guided in its work by principles such as continuity, expertise and maximum transparency in its actions in support of the sector.

The urgent goals and tasks, the solutions of which will be sought in the short term, are the following:

1. The correct administration of the measure on humanitarian aid to asylum-seekers.

The aim of the caretaker minister, Dr Ilin Dimitrov, is that every hotelier who has opened its accommodation base and has received asylum-seekers receives the correct amount of money.

The Ministry of Tourism received several hundred complaints and some of the payments were delayed for various reasons. Minister Dimitrov’s intention is this case to find its solution as quickly as possible, and where there is a discrepancy in the data, the cases to be checked to establish the cause. In the first week of the inauguration of the caretaker minister, active work has been carried out in this direction and a proposal for a Decision of the Council of Ministers on the payment of the delayed funds is to be submitted. Currently, the Ministry of Tourism has received more than 500 complaints for tens of millions of leva.

2. Solving the problem of delayed categorisation of tourist sites and companies.

This is a serious problem, as negotiations for the next season are currently underway, contracts are being concluded and these documents are necessary for the normal functioning of the sites. There are currently over 780 delayed files and 180 items/sets of documents for assessment or a total of 960 applications.

The aim is to reduce this number to the minimum possible.

3. Undertaking measures for a successful run for the summer 2022 and winter 2022-2023 season under COVID-19 conditions.

The work of an intergovernmental working group continues, on Tuesday morning a meeting was held between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health together with the tourism industry. In the active work with the institutions and the representatives of the sector, the right balance will be sought, not to hinder business, but not to endanger the population. If business closures are necessary, mandatory compensation will be sought.

Actions planned for summer 2022:

1. Ensuring the smooth running of the summer season. On Thursday and Friday Minister Dimitrov is scheduled to visit the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. He will hold meetings with the business community in Varna, Burgas and Dobrich, together with the mayors and regional governors to discuss current issues and the quality of the tourist service offered.

2. Measures to improve the visibility of destination Bulgaria.

Following an analysis of the ministry’s activities, a serious backlog was identified in the institution’s online advertising channels.

- Smart digital advertising campaign.

- The Minister is preparing roadtrips to nearby markets (Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Greece) as well as to the Middle East (Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland). The aim is to support and improve through high-level meetings the visibility of our country, to demonstrate readiness and willingness to welcome tourists to support the season.

- Journalist tours are also planned, we expect representatives of DRV (Germany).

- Reinforcing the work of the visa regimes group.

Actions to be taken during the winter season:

The key words are predictability and certainty.

Optimising all processes in the supply chain.

- green corridors for incoming tourists in the event of adverse pandemic developments;

- facilitated passage through border checkpoints;

- reciprocal agreement on the cancellation of green certificates with Romania and neighboring countries in the event of the development of the COVID-19 pandemic;

- readiness of airports to welcome tourist flow;

If necessary, the removal of green certificates will be agreed on a reciprocal basis. Bulgaria needs to send a very strong message that it is welcoming and safe, open to visitors and tourists.

Short-term policies:

- Formation of a working group with the participation of representatives of the sector to develop a law for a single branch organisation. The aim is to develop it before the convocation of the National Assembly and to seek support from the political parties;

- Establish a working group to draft a law on the Guarantee Fund;

- Drafting of an Amendment and Supplement Act to facilitate advertising on international digital platforms;

- Preparation of an Act amending and supplementing the Tourism Act to adopt the Regulations on tourist signage in the mountains.