January 17 (BTA) - The winter tourist season will immediately end if non-EU citizens of COVID-19 red zone countries are banned from entering Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA) said in a press release here on Monday.

Commenting on a Health Ministry draft order, Malin Bistrin, BHRA Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Union of the Tourist Industry in Bansko (a ski resort in Southwestern Bulgaria), expressed bewilderment at the reasons for dividing EU citizens who possess COVID Green Certificates and citizens who got vaccinated or have a negative coronavirus result from a PCR test.

Bansko will lose some 35,000 overnight stays due to such restrictions, Bistrin argued. The constant changes of the anti-epidemic measures are unnecessary and make Bulgaria a questionable tourist destination. Foreign travel agents already refuse to organize charter flights to Bulgaria and holidays in Bulgarian resorts, according to Bistrin.

The draft order concerns important markets for Bulgaria's winter tourism such as Serbia, Turkey, North Macedonia and Israel. BHRA has already received a protest letter from Turkish travel agents as the holiday they have booked starts on Friday. There were many bookings for the next 7 to 10 days, Bistrin stressed.

"Partners of ours from Israel are preparing a similar protest letter. We already have booking cancellations and it is absurd because it creates inequality between EU tourists and non-EU tourists. We hope that the draft order will be revised before issued", Bistrin said.

Pamporovo AD Executive Director Marian Belyakov, a BHRA Executive Board member, argued that the new anti-epidemic measures will certainly impact winter tourism on many levels. Anti-epidemic measures must be strictly followed but the people employed in the tourism industry have high electricity, gas and fuel bills to pay, families to feed, rents to pay and every restriction on the industry could be disastrous, Belyakov noted.

Some 15,000 overnight stays in the Pamporovo ski resort in Southern Bulgaria could be cancelled if such an order comes into effect, Belyakov said.

BHRA Chairman Georgi Shterev insisted that all Health Ministry orders which implement anti-epidemic measures should be discussed with the tourism industry first.

Bansko was named Bulgaria's Best Ski Resort for a ninth year in a row in a competition organized by the World Ski Awards Academy, the resort concessionaire said on Monday.

More than 200 destinations from five continents competed in this year's edition of the awards. Over 2.4 million people from more than 140 countries voted in the online competition.

Lucky Bansko Spa & Relax became Bulgaria's Best Ski Hotel, the Alpin Hotel in Borovets became Bulgaria's Best Ski Boutique Hotel while Villa Gela in Smolyan (Southern Bulgaria) became Bulgaria's Best Ski Chalet

Launched in 2013, World Ski Awards aims to drive up standards within the ski industry by rewarding the organizations that are leaders in their field. Votes are cast by professionals working within the ski industry - senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents and media. RY/KK