We are witnessing a significant growth in camping as a form of tourism, especially in the coastal areas of Bulgaria. This trend raises serious questions related to the regulation and management of this activity, especially when it comes to unregulated camping on private and public lands.
The problem of unregulated camping is particularly acute in the Burgas region, where caravans and other temporary dwellings are often set up without proper permits, leading to concerns about the impact on the environment. Precisely because of this, the regional governor of Burgas, Plamen Yanev, together with the mayors of the municipalities in the region and other interested parties, held a workshop to discuss strategies for an early interruption of illegal camping before the start of the summer season.
The main strategy being proposed is to carry out early checks on state and municipal land to prevent caravans and other temporary sites from being set up without permission. Citizens’ attention has focused on the need for regulation and control of camping on private lands, which often falls outside the scope of current inspections.
Experts in the field are proposing the development of stricter regulations and oversight of the delivery of utilities to temporary sites on private lands. This would help prevent their unregulated use and minimize the impact on the environment. According to them, it is important to promote responsible camping by providing suitable sites that meet all sanitary and environmental standards.
On this occasion, we decided to contact regional governor Plamen Yanev and Kiril Pologov, director of TD NAR-Burgas, who hung up on us twice and did not comment on the subject. Plamen Yanev, for his part, explained which instructions will work in this direction. He told Iskra.bg:
“The measures that will be taken for unregulated camping will be in two directions. The first is active work with the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Naydenov for the issuance of an ordinance on free camping, which is why state, municipal, and we hope to join private properties are being examined and will be proposed, in which after the issuance of the regulation to carry out the so-called free camping. The second part is the application of the law, i.e. all illegal actions that are carried out in the state and municipal territories to be sanctioned.”
“Measures can generally be taken in the private sector as well as in state and municipal lands, and in the agricultural and forestry fund, i.e. for example, in an agricultural land, there is no way by law to place caravans, to lay sewage, it must be regulated, i.e. if all the responsible institutions are watching for this, enter for inspection in such a private object, it should be immediately closed and proceed to remove these objects. Here the idea of free camping, where agricultural land will be able to offer a similar service, not in its entirety, without having to change the status. Registering this plot, as a plot for free camping, he will only have the obligation to provide /as intended in a crude form of the regulation, not in final/ garbage disposal and to have eco-toilets, i.e. it won’t offer sewage and a number of other things, but it won’t be licensed as a campground with lots of fees and expenses. The people who actually go there will pay much lower fees than what is in the regulated campsites”, explained the regional governor. He pointed out:
“Private property owners will have three choices – to go through the arduous procedure – to be legal campsites or to register if their land is eligible for free camping, where lower fees are collected for less money and effort. The third option is that they are already working illegally, where the institutions have to do their job and come in and enforce the strictness of the law.”
“After last year we did the action on the beach in Vromos, where quite good successes were achieved, this year we will make a Commission with all the involved institutions, so going to one place, it turns out that a given caravan or building is in municipal, not in state territory or private, that all institutions that can take an attitude are online, i.e. these are the regional governor, the Ministry of the Interior, the fire department, RIOSV and employees from the relevant forestry, i.e. that there is no possibility that during one inspection some instruction is missing and he cannot take a position on a given case”, Plamen Yanev is categorical.
Increasing transparency and accountability in the management of camping tourism is an important aspect in the search for solutions. Illegal camping is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive approach and cooperation between stakeholders.
According to experts, the development and adoption of regulations that clearly define the conditions and rules for camping on public and private lands is key to achieving a balance between the promotion of tourism and the protection of Bulgaria’s natural and cultural values.
