There are also Bulgarian tourists on cruise ships in Dubai, which are in the port and will not set sail. This was reported to TravelNews by Pavlina Ilieva, chairwoman of the Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agents “Future for Tourism Association” (OBT). A group of 40 people is on the MSC Euribia ship, and another of 31 people – on the Celestyal ship. Separately, there are also quite a few individual tourists.
“People are well, they spend the night on the ships, they are fed and they have been given free internet so that they can stay in touch with their loved ones”, said Ilieva. There are also Bulgarian tour operator guides with the groups, who are in constant contact with their headquarters in Sofia and with the Ministry of Tourism. Ilieva stressed that cruise companies have announced that they will not sail in the next 10 days, waiting to see how the situation will develop. The cruise companies' recommendations are that people should not get off the ships and not tour Dubai. At the first opportunity, all Bulgarians and other foreign tourists will be evacuated from Dubai, Ilieva said. Tour operators are in constant contact with the Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva.
Pavlina Ilieva also explained to TravelNews that all tour operators will fulfill the requirements and take care of their tourists. In force majeure circumstances, they are obliged to provide up to 3 free nights for people, she stressed. According to her, the problem is individual tourists who were on vacation in the region. They must cover all their own expenses.
The Ministry of Tourism is considering plans for the evacuation of Bulgarian tourists in the UAE and Qatar – two of the countries on which Iran launched counterstrikes in response to the US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic. According to the Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva, there are over 1,000 Bulgarian citizens in Dubai and Doha for tourism purposes.
She emphasized to TravelNews that it is still not clear when possible evacuation flights will be possible. Minister Georgieva emphasized that they will monitor when the airspaces or at least a corridor for civilian purposes will be opened, but even if this happens soon, there will have to be 100% certainty of zero risk to their safety and lives. She also added that according to her information, the charter programs for the Middle East planned for the coming days have already been canceled.
At the same time, today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Bulgarian citizens not to undertake any trips to the Middle East region. The Ministry of Tourism is working in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the crisis headquarters formed under it. There is an action plan in place, waiting for a suitable and safe moment to move, as at this stage the assessment of the competent institutions is that staying in safe places is safer than traveling by air or land routes. Bulgarian citizens have not been forgotten - their security is a top priority, the Ministry of Tourism emphasizes.