Albena Resort during ITB Berlin 2023

The biggest German tour operators, including DER Touristik, FTI Group, Alltours Flugreise, Schauinsland Reisen and TUI, confirmed the increased interest to Albena Resort by the German tourists. This statement was made during a number of meetings held during the ITB Berlin exhibition. It was stated that the destination registered good commercial results on the German market not only because of the prestige it has built up over the years, but also thanks to the targeted efforts together with the local advertising and PR agency GCE. An important point is also the presence of authoritative German hotel chains in the resort such as Maritim Hotels and Calimera, which is an expression of trust and a clear signal for long-term perspective. Among the other factors leading to the reported growth are the excellent quality offered, the commitment of Albena JSCo in the field of sustainable development and environmental protection, the wide beach, the presence of many green and open spaces, the cultural and natural wealth of the region. The demand is increasing in the wings of the active summer season as well - during the months of April, May, September and October, when many Germans come to Albena for the sports infrastructure, the mineral water and the balneological programs, the possibilities to organize congress events, and the new thematic golf offers.

At the beginning of March, Albena Resort reports an average of 20% growth in sales compared to the same period last year, with the expectation that they will reach about 75% of the total volumes of the pre-epidemic year 2019. However, in order for this to happen, the German tour operators appealed to the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism to lead a more active policy. As a restraining factor, the industry added the insufficient flight program due to the lack of state support for charter flights - a practice known for years in competing destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Spain.

Within the ITB Berlin Albena Resort was part of a thematic presentation showing Bulgaria as a leading destination for health tourism. The event at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin, organized by the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA, the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Ministry of Tourism, brought together journalists, experts and business representatives. The President of the European Spa Association Thierry Dubois, the President of BUBSPA Dr. Siika Katsarova, the Minister of Tourism Dr. Ilin Dimitrov, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany H.E. Elena Shekerletova and Carmen Struck from GBCIC emphasized the possibility of the acceptance of outpatient preventive services by the German health insurance funds - a program of which the specialized rehabilitation hospital "Medica Albena" is a part.

Many local journalists have shown interest to Albena Resort, developing topics related to the future of tourism in the context of climate change, the imprint that the industry leaves on the natural environment and the measures that individual tourism entities take in this direction. There will be several on-site information tours, within which the investments made in the area, the results achieved and the new goals set will be demonstrated.