Over 20 organizations from the public and private sector official founded the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance

On 30.07.2021, Оn the initiative of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD, the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance was established. The foundation of the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance is a milestone event for the future development of the Bulgarian Black Sea tourism.  

Over 100 guests including the caretaker Minister of Economy Kiril Petkov, H.E. Ambassadors of the top incoming tourist countries, representatives of Black Sea business including airlines, hoteliers, tour operators and various other governmental and NGO members witnessed the official inauguration of the Alliance. Inspirational statements about destination Bulgaria were made by a number of representatives of airlines, leading figures of culture and sports and NGO experts. Congratulatory addresses with wishes for success were sent by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, the Ministry of Tourism on behalf of caretaker Minister Stella Baltova and the President of Wizz Air Robert Carey.  

The idea - by uniting all participants in the tourism industry, to take action and develop the brand and image of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast in line with the main focus of the Alliance: "Proactive, convincing and effective promotion of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast as a leading tourist destination."

The main goal of the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance is to unite the efforts of the main stakeholders in the travel and tourism sector, including business, municipalities and the Ministry of Tourism, to start immediate work on developing and establishing a strong tourist brand and efficient marketing of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, to implement a marketing strategy and campaign on the main source tourist markets – Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Czech Republic, Israel, etc. The Alliance also aims to improve the inadequate communication and lack of strong collaboration among stakeholders in the industry.

The first condition for the success of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast brand is to have a voluntary fellowship with open doors, followed by a clearly defined product. Tourism on the Black Sea coast is much more than a beach, sea and hotel, and we have much more to offer in one place - sea, mountain, spa, wine, rural, cultural, health, etc. tourism during all seasons of the year. Once we have this focus, the second condition is to find mechanisms to "accelerate" the brand by actively developing the overall experience of the touris,t long before the start of his journey to the country. We become responsible to promote what is here at the Black sea so that people can become astonished and discover everything there is to discover in this rich and versatile destination.

“This is a most obviously needed project for this exceptional area spanning 350km of coastline,” said in his statement the heart and soul of the project Dr. Frank Quante, Chief Executive Officer of Fraport Bulgaria. “The function and the goal of the BBSA are not to in anyway overshadow or override the activities of other NGOs operating in the tourism sector, but to really create a strong brand and image of the Black Sea Coast and establish it as a lucrative prime location – a front-runner among European tourist destinations. Together, our aim is to establish the Black Sea Coast as a recognizable brand that is easily identifiable in our top 10 inbound tourism markets and beyond. We really dream of this – to increase the marketing and advertising activity that promotes the development of the Black Sea!“  

The event became a memorable experience on account of the exclusive participation of the speakers who took the stage to present their unique view of the value and necessity of the creation of the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance. The contribution of all panellists created an exceptional, positive and truly inspirational atmosphere for the audience of over 100 participants.

Christoph Eichhorn, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany – one of the first, most avid supporters of the Alliance, revealed his very own astounding discoveries related to the beauty and unmatchable features of the Black Sea coast and the many marketing possibilities that are still waiting to be showcased before the international tourist markets.

On a regional level participated Ilin Dimitrov, Chairman of Varna Tourist Chamber and Evelina Puleva, Vice Chairman Burgas Regional Tourism Chamber who confirmed the many parallel needs shared by the two regions.  

Further two important appearances from experts in the fields of Sport and Culture were made by Daniela Dimova, Director of Varna Opera and Dinko Jukic, Trainer Asteri Varna Swim Sports Club who took the opportunity to present the specifics of their activities and their own willful influence on the development of their respective areas of art and sport along the Black Sea coast.

Two airlines were represented in the conference – Bulgaria Air, represented by Hristo Todorov, Founding Member of the Management Board of the BBSA and   Yanko Ivanov, Founder of GullivAir airline, who's invaluable support of the event was confirmed by the company’s readiness to provide transportation from the capital to the Black Sea resort, exclusively for the purpose of the event.

With its own efforts and funds, the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance will mobilize funding to launch its goals, including the development of a new specialized website of the Black Sea coast under the name www.bulgarianblacksea.com as a marketing tool for the destination.

It is now the duty of the Bulgarian Black Sea Alliance to create a unified spirit, bring it together and move forward in a committed way.   The next step of the Alliance is to invite municipalities and enlarge its membership with other partners and ambassadors who share its common vision. The Alliance has three main topics on its agenda: To set the marketing activities into a pipeline; To arrive at results soon and to establish a rescue plan that focuses on being green and sustainability, digitalization and innovation