Chepelare Mayor: Tourism Is Made by Hotels Owners Who Invest in Their Property

Dimitrina Solakova, BTA correspondent Presiana Valkanova

Chepelare Mayor Boran Hadzhiev at the BG TOURISM – WINTER 2025/2026 in Pamporovo, Southern Bulgaria, December 6, 2025 (BTA Photo/Boyan Botev)

Pamporovo, Southern Bulgaria,

06.12.2025 13:26

(BTA)

The mountain settlements of Chepelare, Samokov, Vitosha, and Bansko have introduced the necessary legislative changes to free up business and encourage investment, because tourism is driven by the hoteliers who invest in their property, Chepelare Mayor Boran Hadzhiev said here on Saturday. He was speaking at a forum on BG TOURISM – WINTER 2025/2026, organized by BTA in partnership with the Municipality of Chepelare, the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA), and the resort of Pamporovo.

The event is part of BTA's initiative to host forums twice a year – at the beginning of the summer and winter tourist seasons – to discuss the messages for the presentation of tourism in Bulgaria during the upcoming season with representatives of state and municipal institutions, the tourism business, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and experts.

Hadzhiev noted that every year there is an improvement in conditions for tourists, but legislative changes are needed to make it easier for those wishing to invest. As an example, the Mayor of Chepelare cited the change in the General Development Plan, which has been ongoing for the last 5-6 years and does not allow the local authorities to do what is necessary to build parking lots. "The legislative changes that are needed are important so that work on the sites is not stopped, but only the price is contested, as with national sites. As is the case with motorways, so should it be with ski facilities, because people mainly come to ski when the slopes are well-maintained. I believe that the next steps taken by local hoteliers are correct and necessary. I am one of those mayors who listen to experts and trust their knowledge, experience, and skills," Hadzhiev said.

/DS/