Industry representatives are reporting cancellations of reservations and Israeli tourists are currently unable to depart from Bulgarian ski resorts due to cancelled flights in the region.
In Borovets, hundreds of reservations from Israeli tourists have been cancelled, a trend mirrored at other resorts throughout the country.
Officials in Bansko are seeking government assistance to protect jobs, according to reports. The situation underscores the vulnerability of the tourism sector to geopolitical events.
Hotel owners in Borovets anticipate significant losses due to the cancelled bookings.
“For the period from February 28 to today, we have 108 cancelled reservations, which represent 770 overnight stays. Cancellations are happening almost everywhere,” said Blagovesta Tomova, chair of the union of owners and hoteliers in the Borovets resort complex.
Mitko Kolev of Bansko believes tourists from Western Europe will offset the expected losses at his hotel.
“Every such situation, of course, has a more or less negative impact,” he commented.
The Union of Tourism Business in Bansko issued a statement, stating, “We demand state support for at least two months. If this does not happen, the losses for the sector will be enormous.”
Pamporovo AD also confirmed that reservations from the Middle East have been cancelled, and their latest groups of Israeli tourists have left the resort.
