Balgarianovinite.com Caretaker Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva reported a 15% increase in interest in spa tourism in Bulgaria on Bulgarian National Television’s morning show on Saturday. “It is an encouraging trend that in recent years the desire to come for spa tourism in Bulgaria has increased by 15%.”
She also noted that cultural tourism is attracting many visitors from new markets, with air connectivity also contributing to this. “At present, the question of what kind of destination Bulgaria is should not be framed as ‘Is Bulgaria a cheap destination?’, but rather ‘Is Bulgaria worth visiting?’, and I believe that more and more European tourists are answering this question positively,” the Minister commented. She highlighted as contributing factors the good price–quality ratio, especially in the higher segments, as well as the diversity the country can offer through year-round campaigns.
In 2025, a total of 24,000 work permits were issued for workers in the tourism sector, while 12,000 permits have already been issued in the first quarter of this year alone by the Employment Agency, Georgieva said. She noted that staff are mainly sourced from Asian destinations through intermediary agencies, adding that among the main countries of origin for applicants are India and Uzbekistan, where measures have been taken to speed up visa issuance, while this year there are also candidates from Indonesia, the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan.
The Minister pointed out that the import of labour is viewed as a temporary rather than a sustainable solution to the problem. According to her, one of the tools for addressing the staff shortage in the long term is dual education, which aims to ensure that trained personnel in Bulgaria remain and develop their careers in the country. Georgieva also emphasised the need for targeted efforts to improve the image of tourism professions among pupils and university students.
The caretaker Minister highlighted that the Ministry is working to ease procedures for hiring foreign nationals, and that there is coordination with consular services for faster processing of documents, without compromising security.
The Minister also commented on the Giro d’Italia, whose first three stages will take place next month, noting that the Italian cycling tour, which will pass through Bulgarian territory via Nessebar, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and Sofia, is an opportunity to promote the tourist attractions and potential of these municipalities. Georgieva announced that the advertising campaign has already begun in media outlets, some of which are exclusive partners of the company organising the Giro d’Italia, adding that intensified promotion will start after April 19. The Minister pointed out that the race is watched by over 800 million viewers in more than 180 countries worldwide. Thus, even in places where Bulgaria’s name is less well known, it will now be heard – and seen as well, the Minister summarised the effect of the race for the country. Caretaker Tourism Minister: Interest in Spa Tourism in Bulgaria Rises by 15% in Recent Years 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-11 08:08:00 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