The influx of foreign tourists to Bulgaria for 2008 has increased by 20 per cent, despite the fact that, for the past 15 years, the tourist industry has developed in legislative and planning chaos. The country lacks adequate advertising and international marketing, and yet it has to tackle the problem of a growing need for professionally trained personnel.

These were the main topics touched upon during the Second Congress of Investors in Tourism held on September 26 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in Sofia. Organised by the National Tourism Board (NTB) in co-operation with Bulgaria's State Agency for Tourism (SAT), the event attracted state officials, investors and private entrepreneurs.

The state factor
President Georgi Purvanov addressed the congress by saying that the development of a tourist industry in Bulgaria was the country's greatest achievement during the years of transition.

"Being a historian, I'm always thinking of ways to capitalise on our rich history," Purvanov said.

The president recommended that the industry find ways to tackle the grey economy in which corruption and disloyal competition flourished.

Yordan Tsonev, chairperson of Parliament's economic policy committee, said that for the past 15 years, chaos had been tolerated and that the advancing global financial crisis would show where mistakes have been made.

Speaking of statistics for 2008, Anelia Kroushkova, SAT's chairperson, said that the 20 per cent increase of foreign tourists was a figure worthy of respect, compared with the average four to six per cent for the rest of Europe. Kroushkova explained that the European Commission had advised Bulgaria to direct its efforts to boosting the food and wine sectors, rural tourism and in organising festivals based on traditions, as well as concerts.

Treasures to advertise
"Where is the money? Show me the money," publisher Martin Zahariev asked, citing statistics that Greece invests 121 million euro a year in tourism and Turkey 140 million euro, while Bulgaria invests less than three million euro.

"We talk about 20 per cent more foreign tourists, but let's face it, the bulk of them come from Romania, not from the Western world. We need to develop `priority tourism of pleasures' involving the three W's: wine, women and weather," Zahariev said. Bulgaria does not have the Egyptian pyramids to try to capitalise on history, he said. Except for several archaeological sites and Rila Monastery, the country does not have much to offer on an international level. He added that administration should decide whether it wants to attract tourists with "dried red peppers and knitted woollen socks".

"The SAT does not even have a decent web site at the moment. Moreover, how hard would it be for the state to fund and launch a special TV channel broadcasting in several languages about what a great place Bulgaria is?"

Kroushkova of the SAT said that there is an idea to collaborate with other countries in the region and combine efforts to attract foreign tourists. SAT could afford to put the Bulgarian logo on lorries travelling across Europe, together with some photos of the country, she also said.

United efforts
In addition to national advertising and international marketing, participants discussed the lack of professionally trained personnel.

Mukkades Nalbant, Bulgaria's deputy minister of education, said that there were 118 professional schools in the country.

She said: "We expect business to take part in the process and perhaps request new subjects related to tourism to be implemented in high schools, as well as offer students scholarships and internships which, if successful, could lead to future employment."

She said that Bulgaria's higher education institutions met European standards and that 80 per cent of young people studying tourism found employment after graduation.

Asked how the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy plans to handle the personnel crisis, deputy minister Dimitar Dimitrov said that the first thing is try to attract unemployed people back to the labour market through continuing education and acquiring new skills. According to recent statistics, the unemployment rate is 5.89 per cent or 220 000 people, Dimitrov said.

Other initiatives include attempts to lure back Bulgarians who emigrated in the early 1990s and still work in jobs abroad that do not match their skills and education. Dimitrov also indicated that the partial opening of Bulgaria's labour market to foreign workers is inevitable. The minister said that an inquiry for co-operation and possible worker import has been extended to four countries - Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine and Armenia. So far, only Ukraine has given an affirmative answer, Dimitrov said.

Josef Halbherr, managing director of Sofia-based ACR Hotel Experts EOOD, said that Bulgarians needed to differentiate between customer service as a form of attitude, one expressing hospitality, and not servitude. All initiatives that the Labour and Social Policy Minister discussed seemed adequate, Halbherr said, but importing people from countries that do not have a good track record on customer care, would not lead to any significant changes here.

"You need to bring people from outside to whom customer service is second nature," he said. "Otherwise, we will all be running in circles."