The National Tourism Council is meeting with the participation of representatives of state institutions, municipalities, the tourism industry, Mr. Odisei Spasov, from the BATA side, industry and non-governmental organizations. The meeting reviewed the results of the past year and outlined the main priorities for the development of the sector in 2026, including the active role of the state, the diversification of Bulgaria's tourism portfolio, improving connectivity and addressing structural challenges such as labor shortages and strong seasonality.
The outgoing Minister of Tourism, Miroslav Borshosh, emphasized that the current forum traditionally aims to provide a balanced and realistic assessment of the state of the sector. According to him, it was of key importance over the past year for the state to clearly and consistently take an active position in the Tourism sector. In addition to the specific good results from the summer and winter seasons, the main progress was highlighted as the establishment of the state as a real participant in the dialogue with the industry. "If we manage to build on what has been achieved at the national level next year, we will be able to turn tourism into a sustainable and strategically important sector for the country," said Miroslav Borshosh.
Among the main topics in the discussion was the need to diversify the tourism offer. The outgoing minister emphasized the need for Bulgaria to present itself as a multi-layered destination. "When you do not expand your portfolio and do not present your destination as multi-layered, sooner or later you exhaust the existing offer. Therefore, in addition to the main forms of tourism that bring income to the country, every year the state must have a clear additional emphasis to which to purposefully direct its advertising and marketing," said Miroslav Borshosh. He noted that the focus on wine tourism in 2025 has already yielded measurable results and international recognition, and as a next logical step he pointed to the development of cultural tourism with the aim of better distribution of tourist flows and extension of the season.
The Chairman of the Tourism Committee in the National Assembly, Dr. Desislav Taskov, reported on the good dialogue between the legislative and executive branches over the past year and highlighted as a positive practice the holding of external meetings in tourist destinations, where problems are discussed on the spot with the business and local authorities.
The shortage of personnel was highlighted as one of the most serious problems facing the sector. As a result of the joint work with the industry, the Ministry of Tourism has summarized specific needs for between 8 and 10 thousand workers. The information has been provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will be subject to subsequent monitoring with the aim of better coordination and easing visa procedures. During the meeting, a discussion was also initiated on the topic of dual vocational training, presenting the possibilities of the project “DOMINO 2: Integration of Dual Vocational Education and Training in Bulgaria”, introduced by the Ministry of Education for the first time in 2015. The Chairman of BATA, Mr. Odisei Spasov, took an active part in the discussion on the lack of staff at Tour Operators and Travel Agents. Cooperation with the Ministry of Education and BATA for the joint preparation of staff under the project “DOMINO 2: Integration of Dual Vocational Education and Training in Bulgaria” was also discussed.
The tourism industry gave a positive assessment of the work of the Ministry of Tourism and for the clear setting of the key topics at the beginning of the year, for the upgraded policies and the preserved good practices. During the meeting, the potential of medical tourism was also highlighted, which type of tourism can become a national priority and contribute to extending the season and for better international positioning of the destination Bulgaria.
The meeting presented the National Tourism Advertising Program in 2026, and also addressed issues related to legislative changes, the management of national resorts, the strengthening of the state's control function and the measures taken by the Tourism Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, in order to protect honest business and consumers of tourism services, with the participants uniting around the need for close inter-institutional interaction. During the conversation with the acting Chairman of the Tourism Council, Mr. Odisei Spasov raised the topic of the gray sector, for more strengthened measures, for a change in the law on illegal activities in violation of the Tourism Law, for higher sanctions for individuals and legal entities performing Tour Operator activities without a Tour Operator Certificate.
In conclusion, the Minister of Tourism in retirement, Miroslav Borshosh, emphasized the strategic role of the sector and the need for continuity in the policies implemented. "In tourism, there are solutions to the strategic tasks that face not only the sector, but also the state as a whole. The work done this year
