site.btaTourism Industry Groups Urge Professional Caretaker Minister Appointment

Seven tourism industry organizations urged caretaker prime minister Andrey Gurov on Monday to appoint an industry professional as caretaker minister for tourism.

In a position paper sent to BTA, the groups said they would not accept “another appointment in search of a cosy job”. The position was backed by the Alliance of the Tourism Industry in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber, the National Board of Tourism, the Bulgarian Association of Establishments, the Association of Restaurants in Bulgaria, and the Future for Tourism Association.

The organizations said that the ideal candidate should be an accomplished tourism industry professional, or someone broadly accepted by much of the sector.

“If we again try to run tourism with people who divide the sector and disregard business priorities, our efforts to establish a standalone Ministry of Tourism and more than 30 years of investment in hotels and restaurants will go to waste,” the organizations wrote, adding that they hoped Gurov would take their position into account.

On February 12, President Iliana Iotova tasked Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Andrey Gurov to form a caretaker government. Gurov said he will act with reason and responsibility, adding that cabinet members would be selected for their "experience, expertise, and integrity," not their political positions.