Every third Bulgarian hotel doesn’t have its own internet site. Of those who made the page, the bulk did not invest in a mobile version that is available for smartphones. The hotel business is losing because of the lack of digital identity, said Anton Penev and Dimo Zhelev, who are among the main organizers of the 5th Annual Travel Academy conference.

The event will be held on 29 and 30 March in Pravets. The trend of hotels in Bulgaria not having websites is mainly for lower-class hotels. It is a mistake, however, to rely on the performance of tour operators or global booking platforms, because business is losing control over its web presence and identity, the experts said.

In addition, only half of hotels with their own website have a mobile app, and the global trend is getting more customers to work with tablets and smartphones. Over the last 6 years, their percentage has increased by over 2,000 per cent and the projections are that by 2020 these consumers will outpace those who work with a computer or a laptop.

Like other errors in the maintenance of hotel sites, Zhelev pointed out the lack of prices or current ones, which also repels potential customers. There is also a lack of added reality in hotel sites. Professionals also introduced a new initiative of Travel Academy – The Night of the hotels.

It will be held for the first time on 15 September, with tourists and local residents being given the opportunity to spend one night at a hotel in Sofia and Plovdiv at promotional prices. The offers will be the same for the respective category as for a 5-star hotel night, people will pay around 50 leva /approximately 25 Euro/ which is significantly cheaper than the market price. They also discuss variants to include in the offer sightseeing in both cities.
