Bulgarian tourism will generate about three billion euro in revenue in 2010, of which 70 per cent during the summer season from seaside resorts and only 10 per cent from winter resorts, Blagoi Ragin, head of the Bulgarian Hoteliers and Restaurant Organisation (BHRO) said on November 4, quoted by Monitor daily.

Ragin told a tourism conference held in Sofia that the country was recognised as the top winter and skiing destination in southeastern Europe and that many tourists from neighbouring countries preferred to visit Bulgarian resorts than their local ones.

"We are expecting about five million foreign and two million Bulgarian tourists (for this winter season). The winter resorts in Bansko, Pamporovo and Chepelare are expecting a good year ahead," Ragin said.

"We don't have a strong advertising campaign in countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, from where we could potentially draw a large number of tourists. But we are expecting a large influx of Russians this winter," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Economy and Tourism Minister Ivo Marinov suggested that the current tourist fees are kept instead of the finance ministry proposal to introduce a tax on each bed in tourist accommodation, officials said.

In mid-October, the Bulgarian municipalities proposed the introduction of a new form of taxation for hotels, family hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments, as well as "luxury" taxes on vehicles and properties, in order to generate more revenue, Bulgarian daily Dnevnik reported.

These amendments were contemplated in the new provisions of the municipalities bill, published by the Ministry of Finance on its website.

The proposed levies on luxury properties, whose evaluations were above the average levels for any respective urban area, town or village, would be increased by 30 per cent. The tourism tax would also be adjusted. Currently, they are calculated by gauging the price for accommodation. Municipalities, however, were unable to generate enough revenue this way, so the proposal was for the tax to be administered in accordance with the bed capacity of establishments.

read more...