The tourist summer began in the northern portion of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast with the expectation that, once again, Bulgarian and Romanian tourists are going to save the season. The prices of sunbeds and umbrellas are down, in places they are free of charge.

“The season has started for some of the smaller seaside towns and villages, for some of the smaller facilities. The problem is for bigger facilities in big resorts which are only just opening at a 15-20% occupancy rate. But we are hoping to see them working full steam by the end of June,” Prof. Stoyan Marinov, lecturer in tourism told the BNR.

The industry is insisting that employment of school-goers over the age of 16 be facilitated. “If that does not happen we shall have a serious staff shortages that cannot be made up for by foreign workers,” Prof. Marinov says.