site.btaTour Operators Call for Support Due to Middle East Crisis

The Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA) has drafted specific requests to the cabinet regarding inbound tourism, as well as requests to the European Commission. Their adoption would allow the government to provide compensation to all tour operators due to the growing negative impact on both inbound and outbound tourism caused by geopolitical instability and the military conflict in the Middle East, the Association said.

The organization notes that the crisis is already exerting direct and significant pressure on the sector, primarily through what it describes as a substantial increase in fuel prices.

ABTTA has held a series of working meetings at the Ministry of Tourism dedicated to the growing impact of the Middle East crisis on the tourism sector. A meeting between industry representatives and caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov is also upcoming, where the issue will be raised at the highest level, the organization added.

Among the measures that ABTTA insists should be taken at the national level are: the introduction of a compensation mechanism in the event of a sharp increase in fuel prices, including the possibility of temporarily reducing excise duties and/or tariffs when certain thresholds are reached; maintaining the current levels of toll fees for large vehicles, including passenger buses, in order to limit additional pressure on transport costs.

The measures that ABTTA, in its capacity as a member of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA), addressed to the European Commission at the very beginning of the crisis, and whose adoption would allow national governments to compensate tour operators, include: targeted state aid for the tourism sector, allowing tour operators to offer vouchers as an alternative to immediate refunds, monitoring and limiting excessive increases in airline ticket prices for repatriation flights through active dialogue with airlines, ensuring equal access for all EU citizens, including tourists who have purchased package travel, to repatriation flights organized under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

The Association stressed that the requests reflect realistic possibilities under the current institutional and political conditions, given the expired mandate of the National Assembly, upcoming parliamentary elections, and the inability to pass legislative changes. “Our approach is aimed at achieving quickly applicable and practically feasible solutions that can have an immediate stabilizing effect on the sector,” ABTTA said.

On Wednesday, the Future for Tourism Union  proposed a package of measures aimed at reducing stress on tourism companies. The proposal includes urgent compensation for increased fuel prices, a possibility of offering vouchers in cases where suppliers refuse to refund prepaid services, a differentiated VAT rate for tourism services until the end of the year, and the inclusion of the professions “tour operator” and “travel agent” in European programmes under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The Bulgarian Association of Professionals in Hotel Management has also sent an official proposal to the Ministry of Tourism and the caretaker government for the introduction of a package of emergency measures. The aim of these measures is to preserve the competitiveness of Bulgarian tourism in the context of the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the associated sharp rise in the prices of energy resources, goods, and services, the organization stated.

The Ministry of Tourism discussed preparations for the summer season with representatives of industry organizations, airport operators, and the Consumer Protection Commission, against the backdrop of the complicated geopolitical situation in the Middle East region. Tourism attaches from the Ministry of Tourism in Poland, Germany, and Turkiye also took part in the discussions.

The focus of the talks was on security, consumer protection, and the stability of the tourism sector in the country.