Pomorie and Dolni Chiflik municipalities are making a joint bid to UNESCO for geopark status. Nikolay Boyadzhiev, head of the local initiative group, says it would be Bulgaria's first geopark if approved.

A UNESCO delegation will visit the area in a few years, most likely in 2029. "We are on the home straight, we have already finished the scientific part," Boyadzhiev told Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

The project is called "Geopark Pomorie". The Historical Museum in Pomorie will run the new body.

UNESCO gives geopark status only to areas with geology of international importance. The park includes 38 geosites, 33 of them in Pomorie municipality. One is the cliffs near Kozicheno, where a layer of iridium has been found from the impact of the Chicxulub meteorite. The strike wiped out the dinosaurs 65m years ago. The geosites also include the palaeovolcano near Dabnik, Kableshkovo and Kamenar.

Boyadzhiev told BNR: "They have existed for millions of years and are part of the Natura 2000 network, so no new restrictions will be introduced."

Infrastructure to the sites is planned for visitors. Each site will have a scan code with information about the place. Boyadzhiev wants to follow the model of the 100 National Tourist Sites.

He says restaurant owners and the tourist trade can also use the status, for example with special geo-menus and tours.