Informes Sectoriales OP - Icex

TOURISM AND RELATED SERVICES IN BULGARIA
2. OVERVIEW
2.1. DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION OF EACH SECTOR
Bulgaria’s Tourism Act has been in force since October 2002, with subsequent
amendments made in December 2002, May 2004, April 2005, May 2005, Nov 2005,
and December 2005. The law settles the public affairs connected with the implementation
of management and control in tourism, interaction of the state and the
municipalities, as well as the participation of non-profit corporate bodies and individuals
in these activities.
The state policy in tourism is determined by the Council of Ministers. The objective
of the law is to:
• Provide conditions for development of tourism as a priority branch;
• Introduce unified criteria for the practices of tourism;
• Provide protection of the users of the tourist product;
• Determine the rights and obligations of the persons related to tourism;
• Stipulate the control over the tourist activities and the quality of the tourist
product.
The law regulates tourism as a combination of specific economic activities, trips,
participation in cultural events, forums and others, carried out on tourist sites and
directed toward creation, offering, implementation and consumption of commodities
and services forming the tourist product.
Tourist activities are:
• Tour operation activity and tour agency activity;
• Hotel and restaurant keeping;
• Providing additional tourist services.
Tour operator's activity is the organizing of group or individual travels trips with
common price and sale of travels directly and/or through tourist agent under contract
and voucher to end user.
Tourist agent's activity is the fulfillment of mediation in: sales of organized trips,
passenger aviation, water and bus transportation; reservation, visa, guiding and
other additional tourist services, as well as insurance related to the tourist trip.
Hotel keeping is the provision of tourist services in all kinds of categorized under
Spanish Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Sofia 17