Tourist tax revenue will rise many times over once short-term rentals join the Unified Tourist Information System (ESTI), tourism minister Ilin Dimitrov told reporters.
From next year, the plan is to spend 50% of the tax on transport links and advertising. Mayors will pay for the advertising and will have to present their own destinations.
Dimitrov said this will decentralise advertising and give local communities an active part in shaping how visitors see Bulgaria. He said it will bring in another €15–20m for advertising at regional level.
The aim is to bring the sector "out of the shadows", Dimitrov said. Many of the flats rented out through online platforms are not in the registers.
The minister spoke in Plovdiv at a conference called "Bulgarian food and wine – a key factor for the development of tourism and the competitiveness of the destination". The University of Food Technologies is hosting it together with the National Tourism Board. The Ministry of Tourism is an institutional partner.
Asked about the attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea, Dimitrov said tourism has no reason to worry, because early bookings for holidays have not yet started for the most part. "Tourism loves peace and quiet," he added.