Informes Sectoriales OP - Icex

TOURISM AND RELATED SERVICES IN BULGARIA
cording to Lidia Stankova from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public
Works, the owners will not lose because the limitation on dense construction will allow
for building more luxurious sites. Representatives of real estate companies share
the opinion that the new construction rules introduced at this stage will not influence
the prices of the most attractive plots in the next two years. The market is determined
by supply and demand, and a potential price decrease is likely to happen
because of over-construction rather than introducing future construction limitations.
Some of the smaller municipalities have already studied the experience of Spain,
Greece and Cyprus, and have decided what type of tourism they want to promote
and have set construction limitations by themselves. The first and, so far, only municipality
that has considered its general plan in view of the new requirements is
Primorsko. The municipality has already determined two zones for building golf
courses and a vacation settlement. Another municipality moving in this direction is
Pomorie.
The act introduces two zones with a special status. Within the first zone, up to 100
m inland from the beach (or 50 m if the shore is rocky), defined as zone A, it will be
allowed to construct buildings up to 7.5 m high (not more than 3 floors) and with at
least 70% green space. Plots up to 2 km from the shore, or zone B, will be built up to
30%, the allowed height is 15 m. Also, a general ban is introduced on construction in
all seaside resorts and settlements from 1 May till 15 October. There will be a fine of
BGN 5000 to BGN 10 000 for breaching this regulation.
The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works relies on stopping the practice
of re-assigning forests and agricultural land for new construction by tightening
the adoption of new general plans in the seaside municipalities. The plans will be
approved by the National Experts’ Council on Territorial Planning, and will be valid
for six years. The building of new hotels, restaurants and houses will be allowed only
if the necessary infrastructure is in place.
Unsupervised construction in unmapped areas is deterring investment, according to
the National Hospitality Management Club (NHMC), and the competent authorities
must speed up the drafting and approval of urban cadastral plans. The hospitality
industry boom has caught some municipalities by surprise and they are struggling
to address the discrepancy between the new tourist infrastructure and the ageing local
infrastructure. The rapid expansion of the resorts is overtaxing the wastewater
stations, the water mains and the sewerage systems in the respective areas.
Requirements for tour operator, tour agency, hotel keeper
Only legally registered persons are allowed to perform tour operator or tour agent activity.
The tour operators (TO) and tour agents (TA) should be traders under the Act
of Commerce. They should employ only staff with the necessary education, language
qualification and length of service. The TO or TA should provide suitable premises for
performing the relevant activity, and should have concluded a preliminary insurance
contract. The TO or the TA should apply to the Expert Commission on Registration of
Tour Operators and Tour Agencies. The registered TO should conclude an insurance
contract annually and should provide precise, clear and comprehensive information
on its activities. The TO is committed to the information released.
Spanish Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Sofia 46