Bulgaria to lose tourists due to the strict visa regime

Raya Atanasova

Bulgaria's entry requirements for foreign tourists should be more liberal, said Ghassan Aidi, President of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), posted regional media. A meeting of the Board of Directors of the global organisation, whose member is the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA), was held at the Golden Sands resort.

A Bulgarian visa is not worth as much as a Rolls Royce and foreign tourists are not prepared to pay for it just to have a holiday in your country, stated Aidi. He is from Saudi Arabia and owns over 50 hotels worldwide, reported Pozvanete daily (Call). Therefore, Turkey ranks ahead of Bulgaria and holiday-makers there contribute a total of 20 million annually. There are no formalities at the border. Only a sticker is stamped on passports which costs €20, explained the MHRA President. The Chairman of the Hotel Association of India (HAI) refused to attend the meeting in Bulgaria since the Bulgarian Embassy asked him whether he intended to remain in our country and look for a job. This particular entrepreneur owns about 800 hotels.

The case seems to be the same with many foreign businessmen arriving in Bulgaria. In most cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives the excuse of not having sufficient staff at consulates. According to the MHRA President, Bulgarian tourist businesses just happen to not manage hotels well. "For the first time in my 35-year career, I see 25-year old managers,'' said Aidi. The facilities are one of the best here, as well as the climate and nature, but Bulgaria has problems with marketing, services, infrastructure. Most importantly, we reached agreements at the international level to attract more Chinese tourists who are very solvent. MHRA Representatives will help us with making Bulgaria a popular tourist destination in this respect, said BHRA Chairman Blagoi Ragin. We will continue to insist on introducing a visa-free visa regime for Russian citizens with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he.