Hospitality industry

Addressing MPs last week before they endorsed his cabinet, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic promised a "review" of all strategic investment contracts signed between the state and private investors and that have proved harmful to the environment or the state.

Domestic tourism in Turkey has begun as it returns to "new normal," and the country is revving up efforts to
gradually reopen to international travelers.
In this regard, hotels have started to design their facilities, including buffets, lobbies and pools, to maintain social distancing.

Turkey's large tourism industry is preparing to welcome guests with new and much stricter rules so as to ensure a safe stay for holidaymakers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has set out a total of 103 criteria, with which tourism venues are expected to comply this summer, as part of its tourism certification program.

In December 2019, there were 2,024 accommodation establishments - hotels, motels, campsites, mountain chalets and other establishments for short stay with more than 10 bed-places, the National Statistical Institute said in a press release.

In September 2019, there were 2 924 accommodation units operating in the country with more than 10 beds - hotels, motels, campsites, chalets and other short-stay accommodation. The number of rooms in them is 131.6 thousand and the beds - 294.7 thousand.

Turkey wants to introduce a new hotel accommodation tax from next year. It is expected to be between 6 and 18 Turkish liras per day. So, for a week-long stay in a five-star hotel, you'll have to pay about $ 22 extra.

Romania had 38 five-star rated hotels on July 31, 2019, representing 4.2pct of the total number of places in hotels, by two more than on July 31, 2018, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on Tuesday. Most hotels were rated 3 and 4 stars (76.8 pct). "Most hotels were in the three, four and two-star category (53.5 pct, 23.3 pct, and 18.6 pct, respectively).

Marriott International, which is active in 131 countries with over 7,000 properties under 31 brands, aims to enhance its operations in Turkey, said the general manager of the company's hotels in Istanbul.

In July 2019, 3 391 accommodation establishments - hotels, motels, camping sites, mountain chalets and other establishments for short-term accommodation with more than 10 bed-places were functioned in the country. The total number of the rooms in them was 141.8 thousand and the bed-places were 324.4 thousand.

The European presidency in the first half of 2018 has led to a 21% increase in average overnight stays in the 4- and 5-star hotels in Sofia, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield Forton. Data are from the third edition of the Sofia Hotel Benchmark Survey, which is based on a poll among managers of high-class hotels in Sofia and market surveys.