Without a single position on tourism problems in Bulgaria, the country cannot lobby for its interests abroad, 24 Chassa daily reported.

Tourism in Bulgaria is 100 per cent private property and the interests of the country and the State Tourism Agency(STA) are protected by private organisations. These organisations, however, often disagree on measures to deal with problems, said tourism agency head Mario Al-Jeboury.

STA is ready to co-operate with tourism organisations, provided they come out with a unified position. Now it is almost impossible to lobby for Bulgaria's interests abroad. Without this partnership Bulgaria will fail to increase the tourist flow and revenue, Al-Jebouri said.

At present, tourism is among the most important sectors of the national economy, providing 13 per cent of the country's GDP and high employment rates in the active season.

Bulgaria has the potential to develop alternative forms of tourism like cultural, historical, religious, ecological, spa and congress tourism. The country needs the support of different organisations to be competitive on the European and world markets, said Al-Jebouri

Another factor to be considered is Bulgaria's EU accession. After the country joins the union, the tourism sector will receive funds only if specific projects and programmes are developed. For this aim, the tourism industry must consolidate, Al-Jeboury said.