Poland Goes Hand In Hand With Bulgaria To Put Culture And Wellness At The Heart Of Tourism

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Poland and Bulgaria are considering new holidays throughout the year other than those that are on the shores of the Black Sea in the 2027 season. The beach holiday may have been the reason why many Polish tourists visited Bulgaria, but Poland and Bulgaria wish to give them more reasons to come back in different seasons. At the business tourism forum held at Sunny Beach on 15 September 2026, discussions took place regarding new holidays in 2027.

The event marked the first time the Polish Chamber of Tourism had held its business forum in Bulgaria. It gave companies from both countries a chance to meet directly and discuss how to turn growing interest in Bulgaria into new travel programmes. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Tourism supported the forum, which also involved the Association of Incoming Agencies, Meliá Sunny Beach Hotel and Fraport.

Bulgaria has set a clear ambition: to welcome 800,000 Polish tourists a year by 2029. That remains a target. The forum was a step towards it, rather than an announcement of completed deals or new flights.

Why Sunny Beach Hosted Talks About Travel Beyond Summer

Sunny Beach is closely linked with Bulgaria’s summer tourism industry. Polish families have long travelled to the Black Sea coast for warm weather and seaside holidays. Holding the forum there allowed Polish travel businesses to see an established destination while discussing how to broaden the holidays they sell.

The talks focused on preparations for the 2027 season. Bulgarian hotels and tourism service providers were set to meet Polish tour operators and travel agencies through direct business sessions. Their aim was to explore new partnerships, routes and holiday programmes that could attract visitors during more months of the year.

The forum brought together tourism businesses, institutions and media representatives from Bulgaria and Poland. Its programme also looked at travel trends among Polish consumers, opportunities for cultural tourism in Bulgaria, tourism guarantee arrangements in Poland and Poland’s experience with Michelin.

These subjects matter to the companies designing holidays. A tour operator needs to understand what travellers want, what local businesses can provide and how a trip can be packaged and sold. The Sunny Beach meetings put those questions in front of people working on both sides of the market.

Bulgaria Wants Visitors to See More Than Its Coast

Bulgaria’s tourism officials see Poland as a priority market. Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov said ahead of the forum that the country could offer Polish travellers much more than a traditional seaside holiday. He pointed to cultural, spa, wine, food, city, nature and event tourism across the year.

Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva developed that message at the forum. She highlighted cultural attractions, spa and wellness breaks, wine and food experiences, winter resorts and events as ways to show Polish visitors different sides of Bulgaria.

The idea is straightforward. A family might choose a Black Sea holiday in July, while another traveller might prefer a city visit, a wellness break or a mountain trip at another time. By offering more kinds of holidays, Bulgaria hopes to build demand beyond its busiest summer weeks.

For hotels and tour operators, that wider choice could create more reasons to work together. A package centred on the coast will look different from one built around cultural sites or winter activities. Each requires suitable transport, accommodation and local services. The forum gave businesses a place to begin those conversations for 2027.

The 800,000-Visitor Goal Puts Poland in Focus

At the Sunny Beach forum, Modeva said Bulgaria had received more than 460,000 Polish tourists in 2025. The ministry wants that number to reach 800,000 annually by 2029.

She also gave a snapshot of more recent travel. In July 2026, Bulgaria recorded 109,000 visitors from Poland. Of those, 89,000 said they had come for tourism or leisure. The distinction matters: the larger number covers Polish visitors recorded that month, while the smaller figure refers to those whose stated purpose was a holiday or leisure trip.

There is another important distinction in the annual figures. In a separate statement issued in May 2026, the Ministry of Tourism reported 266,415 Polish tourist check-ins at Bulgarian accommodation facilities in 2025. Its September forum statement described more than 460,000 Polish tourists for the same year without explaining the method behind that larger total.

The two figures should therefore be presented with their descriptions intact. The May number counts accommodation check-ins; the ministry has not explained in the forum account how its broader September figure was compiled. Without that clarification, it would be misleading to treat them as the same measure or calculate a growth rate between them.

Holiday Choices Are Changing

The Sunny Beach discussions were also about what Polish visitors choose once they arrive. Bulgarian tourism representatives said more Polish guests are booking four- and five-star hotels. Veselin Danev, a representative of the hotel sector, described a shift from earlier demand for more two- and three-star accommodation towards higher-category properties.

That does not mean every Polish traveller is looking for the same type of holiday. Bulgaria remains a popular choice for families with children, according to representatives at the forum. Paweł Raduliński of the Polish Chamber of Tourism also pointed to younger travellers organising trips to the country.

For Bulgarian businesses, this changing mix creates room for different products. Family beach breaks remain important, while higher-category stays and trips built around food, wellness or culture may appeal to other customers. The challenge for operators is to match those ideas with holidays people can book at a price and time that suit them.

Direct Flights Could Help Broaden the Season

Air travel featured prominently in the discussions. Modeva said stronger air connections, more direct flights and closer contact between tour operators and hotels would help Bulgaria expand its reach in Poland.

Bulgaria had already identified Poland as a market with growth potential earlier in 2026. In May, its tourism ministry said there were 21 weekly flights from four Polish airports to Sofia at that time. Officials discussed how to make better use of air access and how to present Bulgaria as a year-round destination.

Flight links matter beyond the summer coast. Travellers considering a short city break, a spa stay or a winter holiday need practical ways to reach the places they want to visit. Tourism businesses also need dependable transport when building programmes around those trips.

The forum, however, did not announce a confirmed new air route or flight schedule. Better connectivity was a priority raised in the talks, and any new service would need its own confirmation.

What Comes Next for the 2027 Season?

The Sunny Beach forum put Bulgarian suppliers in direct contact with Polish companies that sell holidays. Its purpose was to help them develop partnerships and programmes for future seasons, particularly 2027. The ministry said it would continue supporting initiatives that create opportunities for new routes and joint travel offers.

As of the forum’s public account, no specific signed commercial agreement or launched holiday package had been named. The next test will be whether the conversations produce bookable trips that take Polish visitors to more parts of Bulgaria and bring them outside the peak summer period.

Poland and Bulgaria are developing new holiday opportunities that are not limited by the Black Sea for the 2027 season.

Poland and Bulgaria are developing new holiday opportunities that are not limited by the Black Sea for the 2027 season.

For the time being, the way is obvious. The Black Sea holiday will no longer be sufficient for Poland and Bulgaria, but they will stick to coastal charm within a bigger tourist connection. Provided that companies manage to make sunny discussions on Sunny Beach into real trips, Polish tourists will find many ways to experience Bulgaria all year round.