Bulgaria is already working on two priorities from the EU's new sustainable tourism strategy: training staff and running the sector on reliable data, the tourism ministry said. Tourism minister Ilin Dimitrov said this in Mullingar, Ireland, at a meeting of EU tourism ministers.
EU transport and tourism commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas presented the strategy. Its main priorities are the shortage of workers, digitalisation, better transport links and higher quality tourist services.
The European Commission is preparing a mechanism for a European Tourism Academy, which would give professional training and attract skilled workers. It is also preparing a European Tourism Observatory to help the sector make better use of data and new technology.
Bulgaria set up an association of universities that train tourism staff and a National Observatory for the Quality and Sustainability of the Tourism Product in September. The observatory will collect and analyse data, including tourist reviews gathered through QR codes, so that decisions rest on information. Dimitrov said a partnership between universities and business has begun, and a new approach is being introduced in which the sector is run on data.
"I am glad that Europe confirms our vision for the future of the sector," the minister said. The Commission's initiatives match the priorities he has worked on actively since May, when his term began, the ministry said.
In Mullingar, Dimitrov also presented Bulgaria's Council for Reforms in Tourism. He said it is a tool against administrative obstacles that ties investment to the real needs of the sector.
Transport links and easier investment are the other two priorities the minister named for Bulgaria. He said better air links and access to less developed regions are essential for year-round tourism. "It is vital that we prepare tourism for the next decade," Dimitrov said.
In the debate on future EU funding, he asked for clearer rules and simpler procedures for small and medium-sized businesses.
A day earlier in London, Dimitrov took part in a high-level meeting of tourism ministers, organised jointly by the UN World Tourism Organization and the World Travel and Tourism Council. There he said that a sustainable tourism sector needs investment in the potential of young people.