Ministry of Tourism and key control institutions conduct massive checks at the seaside

The Ministry of Tourism is organizing and coordinating the most massive joint inspection of commercial establishments in Sunny Beach resort to date. Sunny Beach resort, with the participation of the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC), the National Revenue Agency (NRA), the Regional Health Inspectorate (RHI), and the Economic Police. This is the first time that so many institutions have acted simultaneously in the field under the coordination of the ministry. Deputy Minister of Tourism Pavlin Petrov is also present on site. The aim is to ensure the safety of tourists and to exercise effective control over the quality of services offered in the busiest resort areas.

Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh said that the inspections are part of the ministry's long-term strategy to develop the sector through high standards and transparent control. "Ensuring quality and safe tourist services is a priority for us. Tourists must be protected not only as consumers but also as guests of our country. That is why the Ministry of Tourism is working in sync with all control bodies to ensure legality, trust, and sustainability in the sector," Minister Borshosh said.

"The active presence of control institutions at the beginning of the summer season demonstrates our strong commitment to offering a quality tourism product," Minister Miroslav Borshosh said during a briefing at the Council of Ministers earlier today. "This is the first time that work is being carried out on such a scale, with so many institutions and such operational coordination. In this way, we are sending a clear signal to the tourism business that compromises with tourist safety will not be tolerated. Coordinated control is a key tool for maintaining confidence in Bulgarian tourist services," the minister added.

Over 50 commercial establishments were inspected during the checks. NRA officials used the "mystery shopper" method to identify irregular commercial practices and concealment of income. All institutions carried out checks within their respective areas of competence, including hygiene conditions, labeling, price information, and compliance with sanitary requirements. As a result of the joint inspection, numerous violations of various kinds were found by all institutions, such as failure to issue receipts, sale of goods without documents of origin, and offering counterfeit branded products. Some of these items were seized by the Economic Police.

The Minister of Tourism emphasized that effective control is an integral part of efforts for sustainable development of the sector: "The safety and quality of tourist services are not a matter of chance—they require constant commitment, control, and partnership between institutions and businesses," he added.

In parallel with the inspections in commercial establishments, the Ministry of Tourism, through its Control and Inspection Directorate, is also carrying out enhanced control of the beaches along the entire Black Sea coast. Both scheduled and unannounced inspections are carried out, including on weekends, to ensure compliance with requirements for water rescue, medical services, sanitary conditions, free access, marking of areas, and protection of the natural environment. To date, 189 inspections have been carried out on sea beaches, including 7 on unguarded areas. A total of 19 violations were found, 4 administrative violation reports were drawn up, and 4 contractual penalties were imposed. The most common violations include the absence of medical personnel, incomplete equipment of medical stations, lack of information signs, and outdated working hours of rescue teams.

All these actions are being taken against the backdrop of the 2024 Bathing Water Quality Report published on June 20, 2025, by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which ranks Bulgaria second in the EU (after Cyprus) with 97.9% of its bathing waters rated as "excellent", including coastal and inland waters. This result is above the European standard of 85.4% for "excellent" quality. Our country is followed by Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Spain. The Ministry of Tourism is in constant contact with the competent Bulgarian authorities - the Regional Health Inspectorates under the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment and Water, which carry out regular and strict monitoring of water quality along our entire coastline. The latest analyses show excellent sea water quality in most bathing areas. Bulgarian beaches meet all European Union requirements and are in full compliance with safety and health standards.