Sat, Nov 21 2009

Number of foreign visits to Bulgaria dropped in September

Tue, Oct 27 2009 12:46 CET byThe Sofia Echo staff 1331 Views 9 Comments
Number of foreign visits to Bulgaria dropped in September

Photo: Tsvetelina Nikolaeva

The number of foreigners who visited Bulgaria in September 2009 was 944 700, 1.9 per cent less than the numbers for September 2008, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik quoted National Statistical Institute (NSI) data as saying.

Most the visits in September 2009 were holiday visits, not on business, according to NSI data. The number of visits in August 2009 was 1 434 569, a 10.1 per cent drop on an annual basis.

Bulgarian visits abroad also decreased in September 2009, adding up to 451 500 or 17.6 per cent less than in September 2008.

Trips to Macedonia, however, kept their positive trend and in September rose by 15.7 per cent. Greece, which has become a popular tourist destination for Bulgarians, registered a 32.8 per cent drop in visits by Bulgarians in September.

Comments

Anonymous sonia Fri, Oct 30 2009 17:39 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Vanko, if you went up into the "proper" village part of Sv. Vlas, you could have found places to eat, buy food or have a drink.

Anonymous TERENCE SNOW Fri, Oct 30 2009 09:38 CET
Inappropriate comment?

PLENTY OF CEAP FLIGHTS TO BULGARIA ALL YEAR ROUND WIZZ AIR OR EASY JET.BULGARIA IS NOT JUST SUNNY BEACH IT HAS A LONG COAST ENJOY IT WITHOUT LOOKING FOR A McDONALS.

Anonymous Mikael/sweden Wed, Oct 28 2009 20:24 CET
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I think at sofia echo should
open a forum for us who want to discuss other things than news. ie I want to know where in Varna is safe and live in.

Anonymous COSMOS Wed, Oct 28 2009 16:54 CET
Inappropriate comment?

There are flights from Luton UK to Varna every sunday during winter and a good price.

Anonymous Stam Birsim Wed, Oct 28 2009 13:35 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Sofia is a hotspot for LGBT tourism. Spartacus in the downtown area is a very nice gay nightclub.

Lots of fit young Bulgarian men. If you have Euros - it's like being in a candy store.

Anonymous vanko Wed, Oct 28 2009 11:39 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Last nov on a beautiful sunny day I took my daughter to Sunny Beach. Not only were we the only 2 on the beach but there was no one anywhere. Not a single restaurant open or even snack bar only 2 small "supermarkets". Drove on to Sv Vlas - same story. Had to drive all the way to Bourgas to find something open. Maybe october is the same but I certainly wont be going back and if you have bought a property there you sure as hell can have all the peace and quiet that you want. Take plenty of books with you as you certainly wont find a book shop

Anonymous Morten Wed, Oct 28 2009 09:06 CET
Inappropriate comment?

There is flights to UK this winter as well.
http://www.wizzair.com

http://www.wizzair.com/

Anonymous Rab Wed, Oct 28 2009 02:09 CET
Inappropriate comment?

As all flights from the UK to the Black Sea operate from May to September and all the resorts including Sunny Beach are only open for a 6 month period each year Bulgaria is lucky to have a resonable amount of tourists. Who want to purchase property in a country where you can only visit from May to September?

Anonymous John Wed, Oct 28 2009 00:52 CET
Inappropriate comment?

No wonder for the drop of visits. There no direct flights to UK from Varna this winter anymore.

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Meanwhile, July 2009 saw the number of visits abroad by Bulgaria increase, with a huge increase in travel to Greece, according to the National Statistics Institute

Dry season

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Foreign tourist numbers decline

The number of foreign tourists that visited Bulgaria from January to May 2009 is 7.6 per cent less than in the same period last year, and revenue has dropped too, according to the State Agency for Tourism.

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