Julia Simpson: Bulgaria's tourism sector is very strong

Bulgaria is actually very strong in the European tourism. It is obvious that there are some traditional markets like France, Italy and even Greece that are very strong competitors, but that does not mean that Bulgaria cannot have, and it does, a good tourism sector.

This was stated by Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in the English-language morning block of BGNES.

"Bulgaria is so beautiful that it is a real privilege to be here. There are a lot of big brands that are already here or just coming into the country”, Simpson said.

"What we are trying to do is talk to governments, for example your Prime Minister Denkov. We have also worked with your former Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova and the current Zaritsa Dinkova. They often need our support to be able to explain to the public sector the value of travelling tourism for Bulgaria", she emphasized.

Simpson recalled that in 2019 the sector was worth about 14.6 billion BGN and has currently recovered to 11.6 billion after the Covid pandemic.

According to her, the country's potential is to reach BGN 19 or 20 billion, which will provide jobs to 365 thousand people.

"This is a really valuable economic story for the leaders in your country, and it's our job to explain to them how valuable it is. It's not just about economic value, it's valuable socially and also culturally, because there are many great hotels that protect and promote the natural beauty that Bulgaria has"q Simpson noted.

“You have a very large health tourism sector with your SPAs - you have more SPAs than even Iceland, but it's a bit of a hidden secret. Not everyone knows this. We really need to promote Bulgaria as a great destination for health tourism," she added, specifying:

"Your Black Sea resorts are amazing, they are beautiful, the water is like nowhere else. I had the great privilege of visiting Sofia to see some of the amazing Roman ruins you have. The way synagogues are located next to mosques and churches – this kind of coalition and grouping of cultures is very special”.

Regarding Bulgarians who choose to vacation abroad, Simpson stated that it is a two-way process.

"Both Turks and Greeks come here, so it's all right - it works both ways. You also have a developing business in the field of domestic tourism - this was one positive of Covid. Even in the UK, where I'm from, people discover parts of the country they didn't know, and I bet that happens in Bulgaria too. You have sectors of health tourism, sports tourism, digital nomads, but you need the right tax and visa situation".

According to Simpson, a visa that attracts foreign investment and people to come and live in Bulgaria can bring a lot of money. /BGNES