site.btaTourism Minister Blames Predecessors for Decline in Number of Tourists

Bulgaria's resorts are ready for tourists, but there are no tourists, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov told Bulgarian National Television on Sunday.

He cited Eurostat data published a few days ago showing that Bulgaria ranked last in the European Union in terms of tourist growth during the January-April 2026 period compared with the same period last year. According to him, the EU average showed an increase of 4.5%, while Bulgaria recorded a decline of 4%.

According to the Minister, this is a worrying signal and is the result of the Tourism Ministry's policy over the past year. He pointed out that the most serious decline has come from two key markets - Germany and Romania.

Dimitrov accused the Ministry's previous leadership of directing funds towards activities with no substantial effect on the sector instead of working to attract more tourists. According to him, BGN 48,000 was spent in 2025 on printing photographs, while their installation cost BGN 41 per screw.

The Minister also cited a contract worth BGN 541,000 over a year and a half for broadcasting advertising clips on the facade of a building. He noted that the contract is still in force because it does not contain a clause allowing the Tourism Ministry to terminate it. "We will terminate it, and we may even end up in court," Dimitrov said.

According to him, the decline in Romanian tourists this year is also the result of insufficiently active work on that market during the previous year.

"My job as Minister is to work on international markets that bring money into Bulgaria," he said. Dimitrov expressed confidence that the tourism sector would be able to offset part of the negative trends.