A WORKING GROUP AT THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM WILL CONSIDER PROPOSALS FOR ISSUING TOURIST VISAS

A working group will be established in the Ministry of Tourism, which will consider proposals from business representatives, industry organizations and institutions every month regarding the problems and issuance of tourist and work visas. The coordinator will be the Minister of Tourism, Miroslav Borshosh. This became clear at a round table on the topic "Bulgaria in Schengen - Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism", organized by the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism. The forum was held at the Hilton Hotel in Sofia.

"Bulgaria's membership in Schengen is a huge opportunity, but also a challenge. In order to make the most of this chance, we must remove the administrative barriers that hinder the tourism sector. That is why the Ministry of Tourism is establishing a working group that will coordinate the efforts of all institutions involved in accelerating the processes of issuing tourist and work visas," said the Minister of Tourism, Miroslav Borshosh, during a round table on the topic "Bulgaria in Schengen - Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism".

Minister Borshosh stressed that the working group will focus on finding sustainable solutions that will facilitate access for foreign tourists and staff to Bulgaria. “Schengen gives us a competitive advantage, but if we do not act decisively, we may miss this opportunity. I am committed not only to coordinating the processes, but to being a driver of the necessary changes. Business will have an adequate and business partner in my person,” he added.

The Minister expressed confidence that through active coordination with the institutions, the process of issuing work visas for third-country nationals can be optimized. “We need to facilitate the procedures for hiring workers in order to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Bulgarian tourism. The creation of the working group is a step in the right direction. Now is the time to take real action to develop tourism in the new conditions of Schengen,” the Minister of Tourism also stated.

By Easter – before the start of the summer tourist season, a large part of the highlighted problems related to work and tourist visas should find their solution, said Meglena Plugchieva – Ambassador of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism.

Dr. Siika Katsarova, Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, pointed out that the organization has an 18-year history and has the necessary expertise to solve the problems in tourism. Bulgaria must benefit from the fact that it is already part of the Schengen area, she is categorical.

Hristina Hristova, Minister of Labor and Social Policy in the period 2003 – 2005, pointed out that tourism not only contributes to the country’s GDP, but also directly creates Bulgaria’s image around the world. She shared that a lobby at the national and European level is needed to solve the visa problems. “The labor market needs 265,000 people this year, according to a study by the Employment Agency,” Hristova noted.

The Chairwoman of the Foreign Policy Committee in the National Assembly, Yordanka Fandakova from the GERB-SDF parliamentary group, believes that in recent years there has been a lack of political will and stability, a vision for the development of the state and the use of digitalization to solve problems.

Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism in the period 2014-2020, proposed the creation of a portal for electronic visa issuance, which would facilitate the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as an online platform to facilitate the processing of documents for hiring seasonal workers and employees from third countries. It would save time, resources and meetings at consular offices.

Dr. Daniela Stoeva, deputy chairwoman of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents, said that our country does not defend its investments in advertising to attract tourists from third countries. She gave as an example influencers from Turkey who have been to our country and have sparked interest in Bulgaria, but the cumbersome procedures for issuing tourist visas may turn away tourists from our southern neighbor. Stoeva also drew attention to the charters from Turkey to Plovdiv for winter holidays in our country, which could be much more if the problems with visas are resolved. The possibility of electronic submission of visa documents will stimulate interest in Bulgaria among tourists from third countries, Stoeva is categorical.

“80-90 percent of tourists for the Rose Festival last year were from Asia. Some of the packages were made with Romania as the starting point because of the faster issuance of visas,” Stoeva added.

Vesselin Danev, chairman of the Bulgarian Hotel Association and member of the BIA Board of Directors, believes that coordination between individual state institutions is necessary.

Georgi Hadzhiev, Human Resources Manager at Wave Resort, said that the work visa procedure is slow. He submitted the documents for the recruitment of workers from third countries in November 2024, and they will arrive in April-May 2025. Some of them are giving up because of the long process.

“We work dedicatedly and quickly, but we are committed to security and public order,” said Lyudmila Krastanova, a representative of the Migration Directorate at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Ana Yakimova from the State Agency for National Security informed the attendees that the Ministry of e-Government has created a digital platform. It allows employers to apply for short-term employment for 90 days of work for employees from third countries through the electronic service.

The visa issuance process is slow due to a shortage of staff, said Georgi Vodenski, Director of the Consular Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussion was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Migration Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for National Security, employer organizations, investors - members of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, leading experts in the field of tourism, etc.