Bulgaria Set to Exceed 13 Million Foreign Visitors This Year, Yet Seaside Tourism Struggles

According to Assoc. Dr. Rumen Draganov, director of the Institute for Analyzes and Forecasts of the Information Environment in Tourism, Bulgaria is poised for a strong tourist season this year. In an interview with BNR Burgas, Draganov forecasted that the number of foreign tourists will surpass 13 million, marking a 5 to 7% increase from 12.5 million in 2019, which was the last pre-pandemic year.

However, Draganov also highlighted a concern regarding sea tourism. While there has been a notable increase in foreign arrivals, between 25 and 30% in the first three months of the year, there has been a nearly 4% decline in June compared to the same period in 2019. He attributed this decline to deficiencies in seaside tourism offerings, particularly in digitalization and marketing.

Draganov criticized the seaside hotels for their lag in digitalization, including poor search engine optimization and inadequate marketing strategies. He suggested that promoting content marketing and enhancing social media presence could address these issues. According to him, many seaside hotels lack effective websites and responsive customer communication, which hampers their ability to attract tourists who now rely on digital information.

Regarding the city of Burgas and the surrounding region, Draganov pointed out several shortcomings. He noted a lack of local tourism advocacy and effective marketing campaigns, which contrasts with the proactive approach seen in other regions. Additionally, Burgas suffers from unchecked development and the absence of local hotel and restaurant guilds, which contributes to market saturation and lower average prices, occupancy rates, and revenue per room.