What is Valeri Simeonov looking for in Sunny Beach?

Last weekend on our native Black Sea coast, we witnessed something that we could laugh at like a circus, if it weren't such a sad demonstration of political incompetence. The media exploded with photos and videos of how Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov toured Sunny Beach to regulate the noise level in the establishments of the most notorious seaside resort in the country. And within a weekend, this became the most commented topic in our country. Therefore, let us also ask ourselves the question - are Simeonov's actions justified? Absolutely not, for the following reasons.

Why does the government interfere in the work of local authorities?

First, regulating the noise level in a given settlement is categorically not within the powers of the Deputy Prime Minister or the central government. The municipal authorities are the ones who should deal with such cases, so it is a complete mystery where Simeonov even got the idea to go around the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and seize the functions of the local government. If there is any conflict between the residents of the city and the owners of the relevant establishments regarding the noise level, then this conflict should be resolved by the municipality. Not to mention that Simeonov is not even the Minister of Tourism.

Then why does he want to interfere in what is happening on the beaches in Sunny Beach? The reason is simple – to make a PR. There is no point in evading, Sunny Beach has an extremely bad reputation among the general public. This resort is a byword for all the negative features of the tourist business on our Black Sea coast that you can think of.

That's why it's very easy for an otherwise unpopular politician like Simeonov to gain cheap attention and support by speaking out against alcohol tourism and demonstrating his concern for the tranquility of tourists in Sunny Beach by stopping the music in a disco. The comical thing, of course, is that this PR attempt will most likely fail and have the opposite effect - the most popular shot of Simeonov's adventures is how visitors to a disco chant "Resign!" right in his face.

The purpose of such actions – cheap PR

The fact that the whole idea of these inspections is to play the role of cheap PR for Simeonov is clearly evident from their absolutely unnecessary spectacle. The Deputy Prime Minister is completely purposefully attracting media attention to himself through the way he conducts these inspections. It is not clear why he should personally attend these inspections at all? This is completely unnecessary, even if we assume that the central, not local, authorities are the ones who should be dealing with this.

Such routine inspections are normally carried out by ordinary civil servants, not by one of the highest-ranking members of the government. Think about what it would mean for the Deputy Prime Minister to have to personally supervise such activities. If something as elementary as a routine inspection of a discotheque needs to be carried out under the supervision of Simeonov, then this suggests that the government has no confidence in the civil servants who are subordinate to it. And this is not good PR at all, neither for Simeonov, nor for the government, nor for the state as a whole.

Setting aside for a moment the insanity of the specific situation, let's turn our attention to the more general question, namely - should the government intervene in the regulation of noise in Sunny Beach at all? As we have already clarified, this is the responsibility of the local authorities and it is logical that this should be the case, because the local authorities are much more familiar with the specifics of the social situation in the specific settlement and are accordingly better prepared to address the specific problems and conflicts that may arise at the local level.

Is the closure of noisy establishments beneficial for the residents of Sunny Beach?

But let's ask ourselves if there is actually any problem or conflict? Loud parties in Sunny Beach are a household name, but are they really such a serious problem? A main argument against loud outdoor beach parties is that they actually harm the livelihood of the local population because they repel tourists. But this argument is absurd. For better or worse, Sunny Beach is known for its loud establishments, and they are a major attraction for foreign tourists.

If the government decides to close them, it will not attract more tourists to the city, but will take away its main distinguishing feature and competitive advantage. This would lead to fewer, not more, tourists. No tourist goes to Sunny Beach because they are looking for a peaceful vacation. Given that there are a bunch of other resort towns along our native Black Sea coast where a tourist can secure such a vacation, why would he push himself into the resort famous for its extremely noisy nightlife?

There doesn't seem to be a problem, but some are trying to fabricate one.

Besides, who and when has complained about the noisy establishments in Sunny Beach lately? Apparently it wasn't the owners, because Elena Ivanova, chairwoman of the "Union of Owners of Sunny Beach" , told the media that the state's actions in the resort are unacceptable and harm private business by ruining Bulgaria's reputation as a tourist destination. Ivanova added that the resort is currently full, which means that the noise from the establishments is clearly not repelling tourists.

Of course, one could argue that even if tourists are not being turned away and the owners in the town have no complaints, perhaps some part of the local population there still has some problem with the loud noise. First, the local population in Sunny Beach makes a living from tourism – this is practically not only the main, but even the only economic sector in the resort. Accordingly, the local population would hardly want to deprive the resort of its main feature, which attracts so many tourists.

And in the end (we repeat for the third time), even if the local population really has a problem with the notorious noise, this is a case that must be resolved by the local authorities. Not by the government, not by Valeri Simeonov, not by Boyko Borisov, but by the relevant municipality. With his inadequate actions on the Black Sea coast, the Deputy Prime Minister cannot solve any problems, but only create them. And perhaps that is exactly the goal.

Image source: Vevesti.bg Visitnessebar.org

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