Reservations for the “Eurovision 2027“ period have slowed down after attacks on merchant ships in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone of the Black Sea. Hotelier Rumen Monchev from Sunny Beach told bTV about this.
“There is a brake“, said Monchev. According to him, before the incident, the hotel received several reservations per day for the period of the contest, and then for several days no new requests were received. He specified that prices have not been changed and the delay is not related to a change in accommodation conditions.
The hotelier links the decline to the strikes on ships
Monchev defines the concerns of tourists as real. According to him, the proximity of Sunny Beach to the area where vessels were struck influences people's decision on where to vacation.
“Tourism is a business that needs happiness, peace, trust“, said the hotelier. He added that people are not looking for problems when choosing a place to vacation, and that the reflection of concerns is already visible in reservations.
On October 6, two commercial ships were attacked with drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One ship sank, and the crew of the other was evacuated. Bulgarian authorities described the attack as unacceptable and said they were seeking clarification of the origin of the drones used.
On October 13, a new attack was reported on the ship “Chelsea 3“ 18 miles east of Byala. According to the information of the Council of Ministers, the vessel was hit by three aerial drones, and Bulgaria conducted an emergency search and rescue operation.
Burgas is preparing for the contest in May
“Eurovision 2027“ will be held in Burgas. The semi-finals are scheduled for May 11 and 13, and the final – for May 15, 2027. The competition is expected to attract a significant number of guests and increase the demand for accommodation on the Southern Black Sea coast.
The government has already allocated over 4.8 million euros to the Burgas municipality for the preparation and holding of the event, including for the organization and security measures.
Monchev said that the hotel business hopes that there will be no new attacks on ships, as the ongoing tension in the Black Sea may affect tourists' travel and accommodation decisions.
Sources: focus-news.net, amp.dw.com, apnews.com