Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 24 ISSUE 2
Written by Violetka ZHELEVA, Dora DONCHEVA, Emil MUTAFOV

The past few years have been marked by significant economic, political, and health-related changes, including the COVID- 9 pandemic, which has adversely affected Bulgaria's tourism sector, highlighting its crucial role in its economic development. Ensuring health and safety measures has become a top priority, forcing hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions to adapt to provide a safe environment for visitors. However, these measures have exposed the sector to serious economic challenges and have undermined its sustainability. This paper aims to present the current economic development of the Bulgarian tourism sector and answer the question, "Has the sector recovered from the disastrous economic and social consequences of the COVID- 9 pandemic?". To achieve this goal information from the World Tourism Organization and official data from regional statistics in Bulgaria were analyzed. The results indicate that the pandemic resulted in a significant drop in the gross domestic product generated by tourism and a rising level of unemployment in the sector. However, there has been a recovery sign in the last two years.

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