Bulgaria gambling Industry Wants to be Treated as Tourism

Dnevnik.bg

The gambling industry should be included in the general portfolio of tourist services offered in Bulgaria, according to a proposal by the Bulgarian Gaming Industry Manufacturers and Operators Trade Association.

The group has called on the government to draft a long-term development strategy for the gambling industry, which should progress in lockstep with tourism.

“Gambling tourism is still not very popular in Bulgaria although the country offers good opportunities,” Nadya Hristova of the group’s board told Dnevnik, adding that Bulgaria could try to lure gamblers from Turkey, where gambling is prohibited.

“Bulgaria should be advertised as a gambling tourism destination,” she suggested.

Bulgaria’s deputy tourism minister Ivo Marinov said he is not familiar with the association’s proposal and it has not been discussed with members of the group.

“The government has come up with a strategy to promote traditional and alternative tourism and this is where the economy ministry will concentrate its efforts,” he explained.

“Pissible support for the gambling industry does not form part of the plan and we could not make any commitments to back the sector at this stage,” he noted.

The industry association has estimated that the economic downturn squeezed revenue in the sector by 203-% in 2009.