Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Tour operators call for state aid, but tourist sector is divided

Protest of tour operators in Sofia, March 2,2021
Photo: BTA

Representatives of the tourism industry from the association "Future for Tourism" have organized a protest in front of the Council of Ministers in central Sofia. They are calling for state aid because of the pandemic. They want a reduction of VAT for tourism to 5% in the next 2 years. They also want an extension of the period for refund of prepaid amounts for cancelled trips abroad, which expires on March 13. It is demanded that a state guarantee fund of 35 million euros be created to cover the money to their clients.


The Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents told BNR's Horizon program that they did not support the protest. They believe that this will create inequality in the sector in relation to state aid.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Valérie Hayer

Renew Europe calls on the European Commission to urgently send a mission to Bulgaria

The President of the “Renew Europe” group in the European Parliament, Valérie Hayer, called on the European Commission to urgently send a mission to Bulgaria to assess the rule of law situation and to freeze all payments under the Recovery and..

published on 10/22/25 6:12 PM

Young doctors to receive long-awaited pay rise

“At coalition level, we have decided to meet the demands of young doctors regarding salary levels,” said Kostadin Angelov, chair of the parliamentary health committee, at a meeting of the panel, as reported by BNR's Mila Mladenova. Young doctors..

published on 10/22/25 4:55 PM

PM Rosen Zhelyazkov has invited King Charles III to visit Bulgaria again

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has invited King Charles III to visit Bulgaria again , the Council of Ministers announced. The two spoke at the royal reception organized on the occasion of the Berlin Process summit in London , which..

published on 10/22/25 3:34 PM