Informes Sectoriales OP - Icex

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TOURISM AND RELATED SERVICES IN BULGARIA 2.2. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF TOURISM SECTOR Geographic map of the Republic of Bulgaria The tourism industry is a priority sector of the Bulgarian national economy, forming a significant part of the local GDP. The industry guarantees high employment and helps activation of the national balance of payments. The tourism business in Bulgaria is 100% private. The tourist sector has traditionally played an important role in the economic development of Bulgaria. The country is getting larger international popularity due to the combination of natural and cultural heritage and a rich and attractive network of natural and cultural resources. Tourism accounted for 5% of Bulgaria’s GDP reported in 2004. This sector has its specific social significance, as it is considered capable of reducing the rate of unemployment in the regions where unemployment is at its highest rate. In these regions, tourism is considered an alternative revenue source for the population, a possibility for development of the infrastructure, a rea- Spanish Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Sofia 20
TOURISM AND RELATED SERVICES IN BULGARIA son for the increasing value of both real estate properties and labor. Investments in the sector are very intense: both in increasing the lodging base and diversifying the tourist services in the traditional for the country sea and mountain tourism, as well as investments in the development of new forms of attracting tourists such as rural, cultural and eco-tourism, development of spa. Directing resources into hotel construction, reconstruction of existing ones, construction of attraction sites, entertainment sites, etc., resulted in some problems in construction, especially at the big Black Sea resorts such as Sunny Beach (north of Burgas) and Golden Sands (north of Varna). Excessive building in some of the resorts has turned them into less attractive for western tourists, and has led to problems with the less-developed infrastructure and damaging of the ecosystem. At the same time, in mountain and spa-related tourism, there has been a tendency of slow modernization of the lodging base and the infrastructure. However, in recent years, in some of these resorts (Bansko, Pamporovo, Borovetz, Velingrad, Devin, Hissar) there are major investment programs, which will lead to a significant capacity increase of those resorts and an increase of the number of foreign and Bulgarian tourists. A major problem for Bulgaria, and especially for tourism as a sector of the economy, is the poor infrastructure. There are still no modern airports, no well-maintained and marked roads, few facilities at tourist sites. The Ministry of Finance has approved the financing of 31 projects which aim to improve the infrastructure related to cultural tourist sites. The sum total is BGN 2.8 million, and the approximate sum for each project is BGN 100 000. The projects aim to facilitate the access to those tourist sites and thus to improve their quality as a product. Among the sites included in the program for constructing modern infrastructure are the Perperikon fortress, The Madara Horseman, The Melnic Earth Pyramids, The Rojen Monastery, Aladja Monastery and others. The insufficient number of experienced and well-qualified personnel is another major problem in the tourist sector. There is a direct interdependence between the increase in personnel demand and the increase of the lodging base in resorts. The average wage in the sector is quite low. This factor further makes it difficult for hotel and restaurant managers to find qualified personnel. This issue is crucial in order to keep a growing competition ratio of Bulgarian resorts as compared to those in Greece and Turkey. Personnel in hotels is usually hired only for the season period, and lacks the appropriate qualification. The next season, managers have to look for new personnel which discourages them to invest in staff. At the same time, tourist expectations get higher. Competition in neighboring countries is also growing, and some of the qualified personnel prefer to work in Turkey and Greece, due to higher wages. However, tourism in Bulgaria as a whole is developing, and its significance as a structural determining sector increases. The trend of increasing efficiency of tourism in Bulgaria was strong in 2004. Revenues from tourism in the country’s payment balance exceeded BGN 3.4 bln, increasing by nearly BGN 560 mln or 1/5 from 2003. Revenues from tourism in the country’s payment balance (2000-2004), in BGN mln Index versus the previous year BGN mln Index versus 2000 2000 2 285 2001 2 120 93 93 Spanish Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Sofia 21
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