BULGARIA will welcome holidaymakers back from May 1, with the popular Sunny Beach open to tourists again.
Vaccinated Brits will be able to avoid restrictions including negative Covid tests before arrival.
Tourism Minister Mariana Nikolova told local media there would be “clear rules and measures” for allowing tourists back by May.
While neighbouring countries such as Romania are likely to return first, Bulgaria has backed the EU's “green certificates” for travel.
This would give all arrivals a choice of being vaccinated, have proof of Covid antibodies or have a negative Covid test to enter.
Sunny Beach has long been a popular destination for Brits with cheap deals and hot weather, making it a bargain package holiday.
Last year, when Bulgaria opened the borders during the summer, beaches offered free loungers, sun beds and tables to tourists to encourage holidaymakers to return.
- Ryanair flights to Bulgaria from £25 – find here
- On the Beach holidays to Bulgaria from £237pp – find here
The average cost of a daily sun lounger on the popular beaches is approximately £5 per person – saving £140 for a family's week-long holiday alone.
Despite this, the huge drop in tourism hit Sunny Beach hardest.
Plamen Kopchev, head of the hotel owners’ association in Sunny Beach warned that mass tourism died out, with 90 per cent drop in visitors.
Burgas Airport, which offers services to Sunny Beach, saw a 98 percent drop in charter flights in June, followed by 87 percent in July with just 400 flights, despite expecting nearly 3,000.
Beach bar owner Nedelin Yankov said: "Our turnover is down 90 percent from last year, there are simply no foreigners and Bulgarian visitors are few."
Holidays from the UK cannot go ahead just yet with the earliest date being from May 17, due to be announced next month.
Currently, non-essential travel is banned with mandatory Covid tests and 10-day quarantines when returning to the UK.
Spain and Greece have backed vaccine passports along with Cyprus to allow Brits to return.
Portugal and Turkey want Brits to return without restrictions by the summer, even without vaccine passports or negative coronavirus tests.
Thankfully, UK holidays can go ahead from April 12.
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