Black Sea hotel operators: Tourism remains resilient despite market challenges
Baku, June 11, AZERTAC
The summer tourist season along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast will be challenging, but the industry's expectations remain optimistic, representatives of hotel operators from the Northern and Southern Black Sea coast said during the Black Sea Business Meeting in Burgas on Thursday. The event was organized by the newspaper Capital, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported.
Desislava Dimitrova, founder of DES Management and a representative of hoteliers from the Northern Black Sea coast, noted that consumer demand has changed significantly and that businesses must adapt. She pointed out that the coastal city of Varna is celebrating 105 years as a tourist destination and continues to develop despite various challenges. “Tourism is resilient and continues to grow. Our forecast is positive,” Dimitrova emphasized.
In the context of digitalization, Dimitrova warned that online visibility has become a mandatory condition for survival in the industry, as more than 40% of Europeans now use AI for their vacations. She urged small and medium-sized hotels to find ways to adapt to new technologies.
Silvia Kyoseva, co-owner and general manager of the Flamingo Grand Hotel in the Sunny Beach resort, identified changing consumer behavior as the main challenge, noting that more tourists have been making last-minute bookings after the covid pandemic. She added that this is not a negative trend but rather one that requires a more proactive approach from hoteliers.
Both representatives from the hotel industry agreed that extending the tourist season by holding sports, cultural and scientific events is a realistic strategy that has already been implemented to develop the Black Sea region beyond the traditional summer period.
The event brought together business representatives, local government officials, and experts to discuss the potential and challenges facing the Black Sea region. Topics on the agenda also include the future of the local economy from the perspective of the mayors of Burgas and Varna and the development of the airports in both regional cities.
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