The Municipality of Varna is ready for the upcoming tourist season. Measures have been taken and all activities related to summer tourism in the city and in the resort complexes have been secured. Large projects for the repair of the roads to the complexes and at the entrance to the city from Varna airport have been stopped. The municipality will provide funding for a permanent firefighting team, as well as an increased police presence in Golden Sands Police Station during the season. All lawns are cultivated and rehabilitation of road surfaces begins where necessary. The new composition of the Tourism Advisory Board will meet regularly and discuss all current issues.
This was said by Mayor Blagomir Kotsev during his meeting in Varna Municipality with the Acting Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev, mayors of municipalities from the Northern Black Sea Coast, Regional Administration – Dobrich and representatives of the institutions that have a commitment to the preparation of the tourist season.
According to Minister Miloshev, the Northern Black Sea Coast expects a moderate growth of tourists based on advance bookings, but “last minute” visits will make the season sustainable despite international conflicts near us. According to him, everywhere there is a need to strengthen the administrative capacity of the responsible institutions, a visible presence of the control bodies and interdepartmental units for permanent inspections.
At the meeting, the changes to the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, adopted by the National Assembly yesterday, were considered particularly positive in terms of tourism. They concern citizens of third countries and optimize the procedures for issuing work visas. This applies mostly to citizens of Central Asian countries, from where staff are mainly sought for the resorts.
Another regulatory change since the beginning of this month concerns water rescue – the requirements for the qualification and licenses of water rescuers have been increased, and this worries beach concessionaires. The postponement of an already effective regulation creates a legal case with which an interdepartmental group of several ministries will be involved.
Wild camping and the large amounts of waste generated by the users of caravans and tents outside the regulated areas were outlined as a problem for the Northern Black Sea coast. According to the mayors of the smaller municipalities, their revenues from concessions are not sufficient for the maintenance of the entire beach. An action was carried out on the territory of Dolni Chiflik municipality and more than 70 caravans illegally located in protected areas were removed.
A number of massively visited beaches remain this summer without concessionaires, but the municipalities are doing their best to ensure water rescue in some of them, it became clear during the meeting.
For some of the settlements in Dobrich Region, the main problem is lack of water. Underdeveloped infrastructure is also an obstacle for the smaller municipalities along the northern Black Sea coast.
In the “Golden Sands” CC this summer too, there will be an external reception of the Commission for Consumer Protection. Field inspections will be carried out many times more, assured a representative of the department. The inspections of the tourist sites of the Regional Food Safety Directorate have begun. The control authorities will pay special attention to the storage and suitability of food products, personal health and hygiene of the staff.
Varna airport management reported readiness to launch its charter program on time in mid-May. Currently, 60 scheduled flights are served to 25 countries. It is expected that in 2025 the levels of a few years ago will be reached.
Only 2.4% was the registered unemployment rate in Varna at the end of March, the city’s Labor Bureau reported. Interest in seasonal work is low, even among 11th and 12th grade students who are eligible to work. The NRA is expected to strengthen the administrative capacity during the season with employees from the interior of the country.
