Burgas Hosts Meeting on Decarbonization of Tourism

Partners from nine countries gathered in Burgas for the sixth meeting of the Interreg Europe DETOCS project. Burgas Municipality hosted the event, which underscores the city's leading role in efforts to decarbonize the tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, in which Burgas is a key partner, aims to support a sustainable and low-carbon transition within the European Union, in line with the environmental and economic goals of the bloc.

For the period up to 2027, cooperation between the regions will focus on identifying, sharing, and exchanging innovative methodologies, processes, and good practices aimed at improving energy efficiency in tourism infrastructure.

The event was opened by the Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Mr. Manol Todorov, and Mrs. Radovesta Stewart, Director of the Municipal Enterprise "Tourism" in Burgas Municipality. Participants had the opportunity for two-day discussions focused on the challenges of improving policies in the tourism sector, as well as to work in teams.

Representatives from Greece, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Malta, Slovenia, and the Netherlands visited the "OZK Arena Burgas" Swimming Sports Complex. The guests' eyes were drawn to the impressive photovoltaic power plant located on the hall's roof. Burgas is consolidating its position as an innovator, thanks to this initiative, which serves the needs of the sports facility. On site, Dimitar Morfov, part of the team of "Sonis Energy Bulgaria Ltd.", shared details about the implementation and specifics of the technique used, tracing the path from the initial idea of Burgas Municipality for the creation of an "Energy Community Burgas" to its realization.

The energy community was created in June 2024 and united the efforts of 130 citizens, companies and non-governmental organizations for joint investment in a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of 420 kWp, with a total value of approximately 220,700 euros. "This initiative shows how the participation of citizens and the municipal leadership can go hand in hand to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen local communities", shared the foreign partners in the project.

During the DETOX project meeting – "Decarbonization of the tourism sector after Covid 19", participants also visited the Energy Office Burgas, where they got acquainted with its functions.

Within the framework of the annual meeting, the partners had the opportunity to see the municipal catamaran "Burgus", which serves the courses to St. Anastasia Island and is equipped with solar panels. The participants also visited the "Chengene Skele" Cultural and Tourist Complex, where they were presented with good practices for energy efficiency in the tourism sector.