February 20 saw a 10th birthday celebration by the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism’s (BAAT). To mark the occasion, BAAT gave a news conference followed by a reception.

BAAT has about 100 members including national and regional associations in the tourism and environmental protection sectors, natural parks, tour operators, guesthouses, family hotels and individuals.

During its first 10 years, BAAT presented Bulgaria at three international village tourism congresses, took part in 22 tourism exchanges and 35 seminars and conferences in Bulgaria and abroad. The association organised 36 training courses in village- and eco-tourism in more than 20 Bulgarian locations and trained more than 620 entrepreneurs and other interested parties on eco-tourism topics.

According to BAAT, the numerous natural, historical and cultural resources, the recognition of alternative tourism as a driving factor for integrated and sustainable development, and the considerable local expertise on alternative tourism services were some of the strengths of the sector in Bulgaria. Other advantages the association pointed out were the current progress in the development of the image of alternative tourism in the media, international films – presenting Bulgaria as a country of ancient civilisations – and the increasing number of tourists who were going on eco holidays or staying in rural villages rather than purpose-built holiday villages and hotels.

The initiative for creating alternative tourism facilities was currently entirely in the hands of private business. There had been growth in holidays offered by guesthouses and small family hotels as well. Marketing surveys, practical advice for new tourism professions and modern bilingual mountain maps had also been developed. Publishers were also planning to include Bulgaria in all of their significant guides worldwide. The first successful initiatives for creating and marketing tourism products within Phare projects had also been recorded in Bulgaria and new adventure parks and mountain routes had been developed.

According to BAAT, the main issues facing the development of alternative tourism so far were the lack of a national tourism strategy and certification of the products’ quality, not enough financial resources for the promotion of the new forms of holidays and not enough engagement between the local and central authorities on the sector. Among the other weaknesses were the bad infrastructure in the country, insufficient specialized infrastructure and the lack of strong educational programmes in the sector at universities. The dirty appearance of many places, as well as the erratic refuse collection, construction in seaside areas and near natural parks were also among the main factors impeding the development of alternative tourism.

Among the main threats to the industry were the lack of policy on the development of alternative tourism among state bodies, an old fashioned and unfriendly legal framework, insufficient price offers, declining tourist numbers because of over construction, the depopulation of villages and the disappearance of traditional crafts and skills. BAAT said that Bulgaria should mainly focus on trying to change the legal framework concerning alternative tourism, investments in trans-border tourism products, creating topical routes in accordance with sustainable development principles and establishing new professional education centres.

On February 12, BAAT sent a letter to Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Assen Gagaouzov and State Agency for Tourism chairperson Anelia Kroushkova, concerning the Government’s intentions to establish a state golf company. BAAT expressed a “sharp objection” to the proposal that Bulgaria should financially and politically support the development of golf. According to BAAT, this was in disagreement with European environmental and social responsibility norms and the norms for sustainable economy and tourism development. “It was unbelievable that the state was focusing on the interests of big business, and at the same time was doing nothing to improve the climate for tourism and was excluding small and medium Bulgarian enterprises from taking part in strategically important projects,” BAAT’s letter said.