Deputy Minister of Economy Daniela Vezieva was enrolled in the ongoing joint inspections carried out today in Pamporovo in order to verify the compliance with consumer rights in the winter resorts. The State Agency for Metrology and Technical Surveillance (SAMTS), the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) and the Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) were included in the checks.
The inspection which was performed by the Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) aimed to verify whether the restaurants and hotels meet the requirements for categorization. It will be inspected if the two required registries are available – the one for guests accommodation and the other for grievances. The availability of price lists placed in a visible position is also under monitoring, Minister Vezieva said. The inspections in Pamporovo are a part of the regional programme for control and completion of the annual plan.
The Commission for Consumer Protection has carried out 7500 inspections so far relating to the Tourism Act. 800 penalties for administrative violations were issued. About 195 prescriptions for temporary site closures were imposed during the inspections, Deputy Minister Vezieva summarized. In her words, the most common violations are related to the absence of a certificate of categorization and to the maintenance of registers inconsistent with the approved by the Minister of Economy. “Another part of the infringements comprise the improper recording of accommodated tourists and the price lists misplaced in a visible position as well as a lack of the carte menus announced in restaurants.” “The colleagues from BFSA have also done excellent work and have made thousands of checks,” she said.
Daniela Vezieva and Secretary General of the State Agency for Metrology and Technical Surveillance (SAMTS) Valentin Chilikov also attended the inspection of Studenets lift in Pamporovo. That was a final check concluded by the SAMTS on the security of ski facilities , and all lifts are in a regular order, expecting the tourists, said Deputy Minister.
SAMTS has performed 3100 inspections of elevators and of 80 km. cableways, upon which 270 penalties for BGN 27 000 were imposed mainly related to the elevators. The violations mostly concern the intentional disconnection of the protective mechanisms, worn washers and troughs of washers, worn booths, noises in engines and etc.