Balgarianovinite.com The State should help attract new tourists following cancellations by visitors from the Middle East due to the military conflict in the region, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA) said in a letter to Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva signed by the organisation’s chair Georgi Shterev, the Association said on Monday.
The US and Israeli attack on Iran triggered widespread flight disruptions in the Middle East and beyond after several countries closed their airspace and three key airports connecting Europe, Africa and the West with Asia suspended operations. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded or redirected.
According to the BHRA, particular attention should be given to incentives to attract Bulgarian tourists to domestic destinations, especially as competing summer holiday destinations are also facing a decline in tourists who will be looking for alternative travel options.
If the State does not help the tourism sector compensate for cancellations by Israeli tourists, whose number for Bansko and the Northern Black Sea coast alone is estimated at over 70,000, businesses will be forced to lay off part of their staff, the Association warned. In that case, the State would have to allocate funds for social support for those left without work.
The BHRA argued that such incentives would be more reasonable and effective than spending funds from the Labour Ministry on assistance for dismissed workers.
The Executive Bureau of the BHRA also supports a proposal by its regional structure, the Bansko Tourism Business Union, to assist the tourism sector in connection with the military conflict in the Middle East. The organization called for the request to be examined at the relevant institutional level and for measures to be taken to provide financial support for employees in the tourism sector, which would help guarantee the sector’s stability.
The Association stressed that cancellations by guests from the Middle East are not only a problem for winter tourism but for holiday tourism as a whole and pose a serious challenge for the upcoming summer season.
According to the BHRA, the Bulgarian domestic market is the largest reserve for compensating for losses caused by cancellations by tourists from the Middle East. The organization therefore expects the State to take measures to stimulate the domestic market and support the tourism sector given the complex situation related to the conflict in the Middle East.
Data from the National Statistical Institute show that the total number of visits to Bulgaria by Israeli citizens in 2025 was 219,067. During the active winter season – January, February and March – their numbers were 15,167, 16,224 and 18,479 respectively, while in the summer months of July and August they were 29,062 and 37,676. Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association Warns of Potential Loss of 80,000 Tourists from Middle East 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-09 07:18:39 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law