Bulgaria is facing a turbulent start to its tourist season as the industry grapples with a severe shortage of staff, raising concerns over service quality. According to Veselin Nalbantov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, the reliance on foreign workers has become unavoidable, with more than 16,000 foreign employees already entering the labor market since the start of the year.

“85% of my workforce will come from abroad. This isn’t because we undervalue Bulgarian workers, but because they are largely absent. It’s not a financial issue, we pay well and continue to pay, the problem lies in the lack of long-term priorities for tourism,” Nalbantov told BNT.

He highlighted that the sector suffers from insufficient training programs and the absence of a sustainable framework to prepare personnel. In earlier decades, targeted policies and industrial-educational enterprises ensured the supply of skilled workers, a system that no longer exists. Nalbantov noted that in seasonal hubs like Nessebar, young workers have limited employment opportunities during the winter months, which discourages sustained engagement in tourism jobs.

The shortage affects every level of the industry, from chefs and bartenders to waitstaff. “The issue isn’t just a lack of people, there are candidates, but they are often unprepared. Tourism has never been a national priority, and without large-scale planning, this problem persists,” he explained.

To fill the gap, employers are increasingly hiring staff from countries such as Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. However, administrative delays in consular services complicate hiring. Foreign employees are initially granted three-month contracts, and extending their stay requires additional bureaucratic steps and costs, creating further challenges for businesses already struggling to staff their operations as the season begins.