Bulgaria will spend an extra €10m in 2027 to advertise the country and improve links to tourist areas. That doubles the money for promoting Bulgaria compared with 2026, the tourism ministry said.
The money is in the draft budget. It will be spent under a new model that relies on direct partnerships with airlines and large international tour operators. Tourism minister Dr Ilin Dimitrov is pushing for such funding in a draft budget for the first time, along with a new way to spend it.
The advertising will be tied to new air routes, more tourists and a longer season. The ministry says the state is moving from standard funding of advertising to targeted investment in access to destinations and in how well they compete.
"Every euro spent must bring a result we can measure," Dimitrov said.
The ministry is also preparing a reform of the tourist tax. At least 50% of the money it raises will go to advertising and transport links for the destination where it was collected. Local business and communities will help choose the priorities, and the spending will be public.
Tourist registers will be linked, and checks on short-term rentals will get stricter. The ministry expects recorded overnight stays in 2027 to be between 500,000 and 1 million higher than in 2026. It says this will raise local income and make competition fairer.
The reform answers calls from business for more state support, better transport links and results from advertising money. Dimitrov says the ministry has listened to business and is responding with concrete steps.
In September the ministry announced a National Observatory for the Quality and Sustainability of the Tourism Product, and it will now develop it. The body will provide analysis and measurable indicators to guide decisions in the sector. Work also continues on a Tourist Guarantee Fund, which will protect travellers if their tour operator becomes insolvent.
The ministry will also work with the newly founded Association of Universities that Train Staff for Tourism, to bring education closer to the needs of business.
The legal changes will come in three stages. The first package is due in November 2026. Further steps and preparation of the guarantee fund are planned by January 2027. By June 2027, the ministry will decide on national resorts, categorisation, sea beaches and taxation.
Dimitrov said the aim is "to double the number of foreign tourists by 2030 and to raise the direct contribution of tourism to gross domestic product". That contribution should grow by at least 2 percentage points. The minister says this needs reforms that follow one another, investment and partnership with business.
He believes Bulgaria has great potential, and says the ministry is working to turn it into more flights, tourists and income for business and local communities.
In October we reported that accommodation venues in Burgas region earned €190.9m from overnight stays in August 2026, up 11.2% on a year earlier. However, foreign guests were down 2.9%.
On the same day, deputy prime minister and finance minister Galab Donev presented the draft 2027 budget at the University of National and World Economy. It sets a deficit of 3.5% of GDP and a minimum wage of €660.