Bulgarian tourism will develop at a comparatively high pace, but the country will continue to lose tourists from some of its main markets.

This was written in the latest report by the independent Centre for Economic Development (CED), published on August 3.
The downsizing in the number of tourists from Germany and, to some extent, from the UK that has already been registered this summer season will be preserved as a trend.

The information on the downsizing in the holidaymakers' figures from the two markets was confirmed by the largest German tour operators, which saw a serious drop in the number of bookings, 15 per cent as compared to last year. The number of UK tourists has been on the decrease this summer also.

The long-term forecast of the World Tourism Organisation is also not very favourable in its take on Bulgaria. This country's tourism will tend to be oriented towards groups of low-income European holiday makers.

Bulgaria is expected to double the number of its foreign holidaymakers.

The period under review in the CED report has seen the introduction of some good practices in expanding the variety of tourist products, as well as in offering new forms of tourism - dental, wine, creation of specialised spa centres for sea-water and seaweed treatment and others.

CED experts believe that the development of such forms is a good alternative to the mass and inexpensive summer and winter tourism in Bulgaria.

In another development in the past week, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reported that more than 2.7 million foreigners visited Bulgaria in the first six months of 2006. The NSI data show that Bulgaria has established itself as a leading tourist destination among the Balkan countries.

More than 257 000 Greek citizens declared they came for tourist purposes to Bulgaria from January through June this year. People from another neighbouring country - Macedonia - that came to Bulgaria as holiday makers in the first half numbered more than 209 000. Vacation was why more than 227 000 Serbians and Montenegrins visited this country through June.

Among the neighbouring Balkan countries, Bulgaria attracted the least number of tourists from Turkey. Only about 15 000 Turks have declared since early 2006 coming here for a holiday. Most of the total of almost 224 000 Turkish citizens that crossed Bulgaria's border in the first half of 2006 were only transit passengers.

The NSI has registered an increase in the number of German and UK tourists. About 100 000 Germans visited Bulgaria in the first half of 2005, while their number in the corresponding period of 2006 was more than 192 000, of which more than 146 000 said they were tourists.