Peaceful protests have been staged in Varna and all other major Bulgarian cities since Friday. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna has not witnessed a decrease in the number of foreign tourists visiting it despite the ongoing anti-government protests in the city, according to Atanas Atanasov, head of the Union of Bulgarian Tourist Guides.
“Tourists see the demonstrations as a sign of a mature civil society, but they are also interested in the reasons for the discontent of local people,” Atanasov has told Darik radio.
Tourist guides have been explaining the complex political situation in the country to foreigners, he said.
Atanasov believes that even prolonged protests would not harm the summer tourist season in Bulgaria.
He reminded that Greece and Turkey have not seen a decrease in tourists despite the protest rallies there.
Peaceful protests have been staged in all major Bulgarian cities since Friday. The rallies were prompted by the appointment of a controversial media mogul as head of the powerful State Agency for National Security. Many protesters have demanded the resignation of the two-week old Socialist-led government.