Summer Holidays at the Seaside Will Cost More This Year

The summer holiday along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast—especially around Varna—will be more expensive this year compared to last. Prices are expected to rise by around 10%, primarily due to increased costs for insurance contributions, food, and electricity. The tourist season is set to begin in about a month, and hoteliers are already preparing to welcome the first guests.

The price increase, however, won’t be as steep as in some of Bulgaria’s competing destinations, where the increase is more than 30%.

Georgi Duchev, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Association of Hotel Management Professionals:
“The good news is that wherever there is a price increase, it will be within a 10% range. If a night's stay previously cost 100 BGN, it will now be around 110 BGN. What's also encouraging is that about one-third of hoteliers won’t raise their prices at all.”

Lyudmila Nenkova, Co-chair of the Varna Tourism Chamber:
“The increase is between 5-6% to 10%, which, however, is not insignificant when it comes to higher-end properties. In fact, in some price categories, we are already approaching the levels of leading European resorts—particularly in the high-end hotel segment that offers premium services.”

In Kranevo, local businesses will once again rely predominantly on Bulgarian and Romanian tourists this season.

Zlatina Mihaylova, General Manager of a hotel in Kranevo:
“Based on early bookings, demand is exceptionally dynamic. We are feeling optimistic and preparing diligently for the season, which is clearly shaping up to be a strong one.”

More charter flights are expected this summer compared to last season.

Georgi Duchev:
“We need to find a way to fill these seats so that airlines are motivated to continue and expand their programmes next year.”

The number of scheduled flights from Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom—key markets for Bulgaria—is also increasing this summer from the country’s two coastal airports in Varna and Burgas.

Lyudmila Nenkova:
“This is extremely important for the entire industry. We hope to see continued growth. For now, different companies are reporting increases ranging from 10–15%, and in some cases up to 50% for major tour operators.”

Prices for beach umbrellas and sunbeds are also expected to rise, driven by higher concession fees and increased wages for beach staff.