Bulgarian tourism business and government work together
Representatives of the Bulgarian tourism business and the government recently worked together to draft a new law with better terms for both sides.
Tourism businesses in Bulgaria are characterized by two things; dissatisfaction with the state and disagreement among themselves. Nearly 60 entities are registered in the tourism sector and they all have different views. However, they concur on one issue: a completely new tourism law has to be written, not the old one changed, and it needs to be done now.
For this to happen, hotel and restaurant owners, guides and tour operators put aside their disagreements and started working together and with the government. Although delayed, the first draft of a rewritten tourism law is now a fact, presented only a few days ago. It was received with very few comments and no substantial disagreements. For the first time, a law is being drafted with the solid participation of tourism businessmen and for the first time many of their wants will be taken into account. Both sides, business and government, have finally shown that they can work together and even with a good degree of success.
“All entities were invited to present their views and their requests – in writing and orally, in a series of meetings. All of those who wanted to participate in this project took the time and have done it,” said President of the Sofia Tourist Council, Vitan Ivanov. Work on the new law continues and the Ministry of Tourism assures us that all arguments and critique will be taken into account.
Currently, the largest and most unequivocal critique concerns the length of the new documents. All of the involved entities agree that it is too long, and that much of the text can be removed so that only significant parts remain.
The benefits for businesses
The Ministry of Tourism made three promises when it started work on the new law. The first was to create a national body that takes care of the marketing and advertising of Bulgaria as a tourism destination. The chosen entity is called Bulgarian Tourism and budget allocations will be provided as financing. The second promise was also kept, creating rules and regulations concerning the tourism districts. The third promise is still being worked on, setting clear criteria for the representation of tourism associations.
Tags: Bulgaria
