High electricity bills hit the hotel industry very hard. This annual winter season is one of the most successful in recent years, but hotels in Pamporovo and Chepelare are closing. The reason is that they are working at a loss due to high electricity bills, and do not want to raise prices for accommodation because they will lose the main flow of tourists, the industry complains. Marian Belyakov, Executive Director of „Pamporovo“ AD, commented:
„There are already hotels that are closing because they can’t stand the pressure. A specific bill for December for the whole company – from BGN 200 of electricity last year, this year the electricity was BGN 700!„
Representatives of the industry say that the daily ticket and overnight stays have risen by 20%, but the costs are many times higher. Only the huge demand saves the big hotels temporarily. Belyakov is adamant that the increase in electricity prices affects the increase of each type of service and these are mostly on the ski passes. According to him, the increase is symbolic, compared to the operating costs they have to carry out this activity and added:
„So, things don’t look good at all. And if urgent measures are not taken to normalize the conditions for doing this type of business – things will be very disastrous at the end of this year.„
In Chepelare, tourism is supported by small family hotels, but some of their owners cannot accept tourists, although compensation payments have begun for December and January. Sabi Madankov, chairman of the Association of Hoteliers, Restaurateurs and Traders in Chepelare, stressed:
„I have to tell you that if a family hotel used to pay BGN 500-600, now it pays about BGN 3,000. That’s impossible for the owners.“
