Veselin Nalbantov

Hoteliers along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast are reporting a disappointing summer season, describing it as miserable due to a significant drop in visitor numbers. According to "Trud news," the decline in attendance has reached up to 40 percent compared to the previous year. The Southern and Northern regions are particularly affected, with only Sunny Beach showing a rise in tourist traffic.

In a discussion on Nova TV, Veselin Nalbantov, vice-president of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, along with Todor Kapitanov, vice-president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB), and Tomcho Tomov, an expert at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce (BCC), tackled the issue of the labor force in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association is ready to open some of the hotels in Sunny Beach for refugees from Ukraine. A proposal was also made by the Ministry of Tourism, BGNES reported. However, hoteliers make it a condition for the state to cover the costs of accommodating and feeding people, because hotels are currently closed and staffing is required.

A ban on construction in most seaside resorts will be in force from Tuesday. That is why the construction of the first line of Golden Sands is happenening at the last moment. In the south resorts there is even more active work, where, besides new ones, existing hotels are being renovated, reports BTV.