The idea for creation of Varna Tourist Cluster is generated because of the team efforts of Varna Business Agency and Varna Chamber of Tourism which has participated as a Regional Coordinator in the USAID/MSI Project “Bulgaria Competitiveness Exercise (BCE) Update”, Tourist Direction during 2001. In the period of 1 year, the idea has been popularized in front of the main participants in the Tourist Cluster in Varna Region – proprietors of hotels, resorts, tourist agencies, transport companies, restaurants, banks. It has been organized meetings, presentations and discussions with over 250 of potential participants in the cluster.

It was made a decision on the final conference which was supported from the lead members in the regional sector to be taken actions for identification of the cluster and his establishment as an independent entity with common priorities, vision and joint actions. In the meantime, it was a big increase in the Tourist Industry, new members were accepted in the potential cluster and it was difficult to establish an independent entity. However, in the period from 2001 until now the main participants in the cluster encountered common efforts for dissolving specific problems for elaboration of strategies and implementation of separate common projects.

The main problem is the lack of association which should unify all the common actions for increasing the competitiveness of the tourist sector in Varna Region. The establishment of the cluster as an active structure will be possible in the period of 6 months because of the acquaintance of the participants and the established partnership relations between the members of the cluster. For this reason the initiators of the present project unified their efforts to implement an initiative which has to be the basis of the real integration of Varna Tourist Cluster.