Israeli tourists are stranded in Bulgarian winter resorts and cannot leave due to canceled flights in the Middle East.
This was reported to TravelNews by Malin Bystrin, chairman of the Union of Tourism Business in Bansko and deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA). “There are Israeli tourists stranded in Bansko”, he said. According to him, some of them are extending their stay in Bulgaria through the tour operators they were sent with. Some of the groups expect to be evacuated at the first opportunity. Individual tourists are extending their stay themselves and paying, Bystrin emphasized.
Hoteliers are in constant contact with tour operators and the Israeli embassy in Bulgaria. Malin Bystrin commented that the situation in the Middle East once again shows that tourism is the most vulnerable sector. “We expected a very strong month of March, which was fully booked by Israeli tourists, but now they will not be able to arrive. We will suffer losses from the situation”, he emphasized.
Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva announced to TravelNews that she is aware of and is in contact with the Israeli authorities.
The same situation is in Borovets. “Some of the Israeli tourists are extending their stay”, Elena Ivanova, owner of the “Bor” and “Edelweiss” hotels in Borovets, told TravelNews. Others will return home via Egypt, she explained.
There are fewer Israeli tourists in Pamporovo, but the situation is the same for them.