Bulgaria Plans Incentives for New Air Routes

Bulgaria intends to make transport connectivity a major tourism-policy priority in 2027. Officials are discussing a central connectivity and advertising fund, support for airline traffic-incentive programmes and more effective use of tourism-tax revenue for destination marketing. As of August 10, 2026, however, the proposed fund has not been launched and no budget or operating rules have been published. Bulgaria’s air network is already expanding independently of the proposal, with Sofia announcing 94 summer destinations, Varna 60 and Burgas more than 70.

Connectivity becomes a 2027 tourism priority

On August 5, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov met Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Peev, representatives of Sofia, Plovdiv and Black Sea municipalities, and executives from SOF Connect, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management and Plovdiv Airport.

Dimitrov said connectivity would be a key issue “next year,” referring to 2027.

The government is attempting to link tourism promotion more closely with aviation policy, airport development and municipal marketing.

The central fund has not yet been established

One of the measures discussed was the creation of a central connectivity and advertising fund.

The proposed structure would allow the state and municipalities to jointly support marketing initiatives intended to attract airlines, encourage new air services and promote Bulgaria in priority international markets.

The official announcement does not provide a budget, financing formula, eligibility criteria or implementation date.

The measure should therefore be described as a proposal under discussion rather than an operating national airline-subsidy fund.

Airlines could receive discounts and financial incentives

Transport Minister Georgi Peev committed to supporting an airport traffic incentive programme including discounts and financial incentives for airlines.

That statement does not, however, establish that a fully funded new national programme with published rules is already operating.

The distinction is important when assessing the potential impact on airline capacity.

Tourism-tax revenue could play a larger role

Officials also discussed making more effective use of tourism-tax revenue to support destination marketing and transport connectivity.

No mandatory percentage of local tourism-tax receipts has been announced for aviation or promotional spending.

The proposal therefore remains at the policy-discussion stage.

Germany is a key recovery market

Bulgaria is preparing a broader campaign to rebuild its German tourism market through additional air capacity and stronger promotion.

The Tourism Ministry describes the initiative as a “Marshall Plan” involving tour operators, hotels, airports and influencers.

Accommodation establishments recorded 306,537 German tourist registrations in 2025, up 24.3% from 2024 but still below 2019 levels.

A total of 255 flights were scheduled from four German airports to Varna and Burgas between May 14 and September 26, 2026, with potential capacity for approximately 46,000 tourists.

Poland, Czechia, the UK, Israel and Romania are also targeted

The Tourism Ministry says it is expanding activity in Poland, Czechia, Israel, the United Kingdom and Romania.

Polish registrations in accommodation establishments rose 61.3% year on year to 8,532 in January-March 2026, although that percentage comes from a relatively small winter-season base. Full-year 2025 registrations totalled 266,415, down 1.2%.

Romanian tourist registrations reached 984,092 in 2025, up 8.5% from the previous year and 51.2% above the 2019 level.

Israel remains a relevant tourism and aviation market

Passport.News particularly highlights Israel, and the Tourism Ministry explicitly includes it among the markets targeted for expanded activity.

Bulgaria recorded 21,058 visits by non-residents from Israel in June 2026, including 20,664 holiday and recreation visits.

Burgas Airport handled around 99,000 passengers from Israel during 2025, with Tel Aviv among its five largest individual destinations.

Sofia announced 94 summer destinations

Vasil Levski Sofia Airport entered summer 2026 with 30 airlines connecting the capital to 94 destinations.

The schedule included new or expanded services to destinations including Porto, Marrakech, Turin, Rimini, Palma de Mallorca, Santander and Palermo.

The network expansion demonstrates that Bulgaria’s connectivity is already growing independently of any future central fund.

Airport capacity is becoming a constraint

The Transport Ministry says Sofia Airport is already experiencing capacity constraints involving aircraft stands and apron handling.

Peev also said new direct long-haul services were expected by the end of the summer. The August 5 announcement did not identify specific destinations, so those services should not yet be described as launched routes.

Burgas and Varna traffic rose 11%

Burgas and Varna airports jointly handled 3.7 million passengers in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year.

The two airports handled more than 27,000 aircraft movements operated by 64 Bulgarian and international airlines serving more than 90 destinations.

Burgas served approximately 1.8 million passengers. Its largest country markets were Poland, the United Kingdom, Czechia, Germany and Israel.

Varna also handled more than 1.8 million passengers, with Germany its largest international market.

The coastal networks expanded again in 2026

Varna’s summer programme offers 60 destinations, while Burgas announced more than 70.

Wizz Air based a third aircraft at Varna and added routes to Barcelona, Athens, Paris-Beauvais, Debrecen and Gdansk.

This means the government’s proposed connectivity policy is being developed against a background of substantial commercial route expansion.

1.424 million is not a hotel-tourist count

Official June statistics require careful terminology.

Bulgaria recorded 1.424 million visits by non-residents in June 2026, 0.2% fewer than a year earlier. This is not the same as 1.424 million tourists staying in Bulgarian accommodation.

Transit accounted for 420,700 visits, or 29.5% of the total. Holiday and recreation visits represented 52.3%, professional travel 8% and other purposes 39.7%.

Border-visit statistics should therefore not be mixed with accommodation-registration data.

Inbound visits were broadly flat

The total number of non-resident visits declined 0.2% year on year in June, while holiday and recreation visits fell 0.5%. Professional visits increased 3.6%.

The largest source markets were Romania with 246,600 visits, Türkiye with 242,200, Germany with 122,200, Greece with 110,000, Ukraine with 109,200 and Poland with 104,500.

The data therefore do not show that the newly discussed connectivity measures have already accelerated inbound tourism.

ESTI is being adapted to EU short-term rental rules

The government is also planning changes to Bulgaria’s Unified Tourism Information System, ESTI, to improve reporting and comply with European short-term accommodation requirements.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has applied since May 20, 2026 and harmonises aspects of registration and data sharing for short-term accommodation offered through online platforms.

It does not create one EU-wide maximum number of rental days. Member States and local authorities retain powers to adopt proportionate market-access requirements.

The framework is also not a requirement that every EU country create an entirely new registration system. Where registration or platform-data requirements are used, they must operate within the EU framework.

Eurovision 2027 could provide additional exposure

The Tourism Ministry also pointed to Bulgaria’s forthcoming hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest as an international promotional opportunity and said more than 1,000 journalists were expected. That figure is the ministry’s own estimate.

The European Broadcasting Union separately confirms that Eurovision 2027 will take place in Bulgaria following DARA’s victory for the country at the 2026 contest in Vienna.

Its eventual tourism impact cannot yet be quantified.

Incentives do not guarantee sustainable routes

Airport discounts, marketing support and financial incentives can reduce the cost and risk of launching a new route.

They cannot by themselves ensure that a service remains commercially viable once initial support ends.

This is why the ministers’ agreement to review progress with municipalities and airport operators every six months is important: the key measure of success will ultimately be sustainable passenger demand rather than the headline number of newly announced routes.

As International Investment experts note, Bulgaria’s initiative addresses a genuine challenge but should not yet be presented as a fully operational national airline-subsidy programme. The central connectivity fund remains under discussion, no mandatory tourism-tax contribution has been set and detailed financial-incentive rules have not been published. At the same time, Bulgaria already has a substantial and expanding aviation base: Sofia announced 94 summer destinations, Varna 60 and Burgas more than 70, while the Black Sea airports increased passenger traffic by 11% in 2025. For tourism and hospitality investors, the decisive indicator will not be how many subsidised or promoted routes are announced, but how many develop sufficient year-round passenger demand to survive after initial support is removed.

FAQ: Has Bulgaria created the connectivity fund?

No. Creation of a central connectivity and advertising fund was discussed on August 5, but no budget, operating rules or launch date have been announced.

FAQ: Will airlines receive financial incentives?

The transport minister committed to supporting a traffic-incentive programme involving discounts and financial incentives, but detailed national rules have not yet been published.

FAQ: Is tourism-tax revenue already funding new flights?

No new mandatory allocation has been announced. Officials are discussing more effective use of tourism-tax revenue for marketing and connectivity.

FAQ: How many foreign tourists visited Bulgaria in June?

The official figure is 1.424 million visits by non-residents, not hotel-tourist registrations. Transit represented 29.5% of the total.

FAQ: Is inbound tourism growing?

June non-resident visits fell 0.2% year on year, while holiday visits declined 0.5%.

FAQ: How important is Israel?

Bulgaria recorded 21,058 visits from Israel in June, of which 20,664 were for holidays and recreation. Burgas Airport handled around 99,000 Israeli-market passengers in 2025.

FAQ: How large are Bulgaria’s airport networks?

Sofia announced 94 summer destinations, Varna 60 and Burgas more than 70.

FAQ: What changed for short-term rentals?

Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has applied since May 20, 2026 and harmonises data collection and sharing for online short-term accommodation. It does not impose a single EU-wide rental-day limit.

FAQ: Will Bulgaria host Eurovision 2027?

Yes. The EBU confirms that the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Bulgaria following DARA’s 2026 victory.