At the beginning of 2022 tour operators in Bulgaria are a bit more optimistic, expecting the share of travel and revenues from tourism to go up, says Pavlina Ruseva from Future for Tourism Association.

Nevertheless, she says that recovery will be slow and tentative, a certain amount of acceleration being expected during the second half of the year. In Pavlina Ruseva’s words people are really eager to travel, they need to go to different places, to establish social contacts. In the conditions of pandemic what the sector needs badly are amendments to the tourism act and insurance method that will regulate the clauses connected with cancellations, Pavlina Ruseva points out, and adds that after the slump, a heightened interest is expected in tours, as the constant changes in the restrictions and requirements have meant tour operators have had to be flexible and adaptive in the programmes offered.

As to multi-country trips, there will likely be some difficulties in this areas, all the more so that the companies are experiencing a shortage of good tour guides. The forecasts for the second half of the year are for an upturn in cruises. The demand for exotic destinations such as the Maldives, Zanzibar, the Dominican Republic and Kenya will keep. And, of course, Turkey and Greece, as well as Croatia, Italy, most of all the area around Sicily, and Tunisia remain among the favourite summer-time holiday destinations. The prices of the tourist product will inevitably go up.