There is no decision as of yet concerning flights from Russia for tourism purposes. We remind that nearly a month ago Russia suspended the flights of its tourists to Bulgaria and thus for a second summer season on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast there will be no Russian tourists in our resorts.
The decision is taken every Friday and is based on two indicators – the number of infected per 100,000 and the number of vaccinated. The second is an indicator by which we are lagging behind, admitted Minister of Tourism Stella Baltova in the studio of Nova TV. She hopes that a Russian team will visit Bulgaria and make sure on the ground that Bulgaria is a safe destination and all anti-epidemic measures are strictly observed. It is therefore important that workers in the tourism sector are also vaccinated. No mandatory inoculation is considered, as it is an individual decision.
Baltova did not respond to a question whether restricting Russian tourists from Bulgaria was a political decision.
Stella Baltova expects the reduced prices of beach accessories to reach BGN 0. Within days it will be clear what the concessionaires and the Ministry of Tourism have agreed on.
The program of charter flights to the airports in Burgas and Varna is encouraging, but tourism in 2021 is more difficult than in 2020, the caretaker minister said. Free antigen tests are being considered at border crossing points, but the decision depends on the Health Ministry.
There is an easement in the conditions for PCR tests on entry and exit checkpoints for the Balkan countries. This requirement has been dropped since Friday for Romanian tourists, and Baltova hopes this will apply for the rest of our neighboring countries soon.