June 8 (SeeNews) - International hotel operators Marriott and Hyatt are interested in investing in projects on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, tourism minister Nikolina Angelkova said.
Luxury hotels in Bulgaria increased to 418 in 2018 from 369 in 2014, Angelkova said during a hotel and tourism investment forum on Thursday, according to a press release published by the tourism ministry.
Four-star and five-star hotels now have a share of 43% in the total number of beds offered by accommodation facilities with at least 10 beds in Bulgaria, Angelkova added.
In April, Marriott International's hotel development director, Paul Rosenberg, told SeeNews that the company is considering several locations in the country.
"I think the presence in that location helps us to then support other locations in the country, so today absolutely we'd be happy to look into opportunities in Plovdiv, on the seaside - in Varna, Bansko - in the mountains," Rosenberg said at the time.
Also in April, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) and Bulgaria's Postbank said they will jointly provide a 58.3 million euro ($72.3 million) loan to I Tower Development for the construction of a Marriott hotel in Sofia, the first in the country.
The Marriott hotel in Sofia will have 232 rooms. Its construction is expected to be completed in 2020.
($=0.8065 euro)