Companies failed to agree on who will unite tourism organisations in a single structure.

Yesterday three of the oldest and biggest associations in the country – Bulgarian Association of Travel Agencies (BATA), Bulgarian Tourist Chamber (BTC) and Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA), announced they will create national tourism industry union in Sunny Beach on April 25.

Only a week ago major tourism investors and well-known businessmen said they will make a national tourism board, 24 Chassa reported. The initiative belongs to the Bulgarian Convention and Visitors Bureau (BCVB) and National Association for SPA Tourism. BCVB includes hotel chains like Radisson, Hilton, Sheraton and Kempinski.

Everyone in the tourism sector understands such unified structure is necessary but ways of achieving this goal are still unclear, BHRA chairman Blagoi Ragin said. Although he was one of the initiators of the board establishment, now he supports the union.

As a result of the disagreements the hotel association may split in two, Ragin said. The real struggle is for the money in EU structural funds to be given for tourism after 2007.

Both future organisations have invited all major investors, as well as associations dealing with specialised tourism. The offer is open even for companies remotely connected to the tourism sector like banks and insurers.