Tourism minister: 20% of EU recovery plans will be directed to tourism industry

Speaking at a briefing on April 28, Bulgaria’s Minister of tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, said that 20% of the coronavirus crisis recovery plans will be directed to the tourism sector. This was decided by the tourism ministers of the EU member states at a video conference meeting, held on April 27, to discuss the implications of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism: First of all, we proposed to create the so-called Travel Compensation Fund, which can help provide the tour operators with liquidity, on one hand, and on the other, to guarantee the protection of consumers. It is crucial to create one such tool to avoid this closed loop of inability to recover funds between service providers and consumers.

Angelkova stressed that it is now important for local authorities and businesses to join forces in order to recover from the crisis as quickly as possible.

She said that her counterparts had supported the proposed creation of a European Travel Compensation Fund, to ensure the liquidity of tour operators and consumers’ rights.

“I proposed, and my colleagues from other countries supported me, to create a so-called European Travel Compensation Fund, which can support tour operators’ liquidity and guarantee consumer protection. In this way, we will avoid this closed circle of inability to recover funds, which may lead to massive bankruptcies,” Angelkova said.

The videoconference also discussed the establishment of a Recovery Plan after the start of the slow recovery after the exit from the coronavirus crisis. Each of us, the tourism ministers, insisted that tourism should have a prominent and key place, uniting around the figure - 20% of the European funds to be directed towards tourism, Angelkova said.

They proposed to create uniform rules for the gradual opening of EU borders, between the member states, and related to intra-EU travel. It was also discussed that there should be a single protocol and rules regarding compliance with uniform health standards for places that offer food and rules that tourists must follow.

Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism: It is very important, with clear and positive messages and rules, to restore people's confidence in travel. Everyone who wants to travel will be looking first at the health and safety standards offered by the destination.

I also suggested that there be a common European tourism strategy to restore Europe's position as a tourist destination, Angelkova said.

The Minister of Tourism announced that it is planned to start preparations for the summer season in /Bulgaria from June 15 so that it could start from July 1.

A crisis advertising program has been developed, she added.

She called on Bulgarians to choose their own country as their holiday destination. In second place, she said that the country would rely, on tourists from neighbouring countries and in third, on the rest of the European market.

“We are in constant dialogue with the major tour operators we have worked with so far,” Angelkova said.

Another major measure is the promotion of organized tourism and the promotion of charters. But this would depend on the gradual opening of borders and on the possibilities of the budget.

Angelkova said that she had already submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate tourist visas for citizens of Russia and Turkey.