Odysseia-In, as the responsible tourism leader in Bulgaria, cares for the country’s natural and cultural heritage. We run our business, both in the office and in the field, not only to turn a profit, but in a way that preserves our country’s tourism product and improves the lives of our citizens – we are always improving our work to minimize our impact on the environment, to create new jobs and new opportunities for poor communities, and to maintain and restore local traditions and way of life.

We feel so strongly about our social and environmental responsibilities to improve the lives of Bulgarians that we also undertake many initiatives focused on preserving our unique natural and cultural heritage. Here we would like to present two of our 2004/2005 projects: Reforestation in Pirin Mountains National Park, and Restoration of Saint Nicholas Monastery.

Our tours are on the pages of the brochures of leading tour operators in Europe, USA and Japan. We run small groups to create more meaningful interactions and minimize impact. Our overnight stays are specially chosen to be typical for the region visited and to support a wide range of small and poor communities, with accommodation primarily in family-run guesthouses and B&Bs, in villages and small towns. By visiting less-known communities, we provide a source of income to people in rural areas and make sure that our money stays local. We can say with pride that through our business we have achieved significant success and have encouraged several communities to support responsible tourism. We estimate that each year we pay about 400.000 Euro to our suppliers in rural Bulgarian regions. Our suppliers there are family-run guesthouses and small hotels, mountain huts, local guides, local transportation companies, etc. 

Other Significant Projects

Odysseia-In has also participated in other initiatives since our inception. The most important are the foundation of two NGOs to support and encourage sustainable tourism and environmental conservation. We created the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT) in 1998 and it is now the largest sustainable tourism NGO in the country. Odysseia-In continues to support BAAT as a member, and also by advising on many projects such as training programs for guesthouses.

We are also one of the founders of the Association Mountains and People, whose greatest achievement to date is the foundation of the Professional Mountain Guiding Centre in 2003. This centre educates its students on responsible practices in the mountains and gives them a skill that will provide an opportunity for employment.