advertisement
Sat, Feb 11 2012
Holiday season tourism to and from Bulgaria declines on all fronts
A significant drop in tourist traffic to and from Bulgaria was observed during the holiday season in December 2009, according to the National Statistics Institute (NSI) which published the data on January 28 2010.
A total of about 297 000 Bulgarians travelled to other countries in December 2009, or 24.2 per cent less than the previous year. Meanwhile about 357 000 foreigners visited the country, representing a 7.3 per cent decrease as well.
Turkey remained the favoured destination for Bulgarians, according to the report, with about 101 000 people travelling to the country either on holiday or for business, but this also indicated a 5.9 per cent dip on the previous year.
Greece came in second with more than 67 000 Bulgarians visiting the country, a (considerable) 38.6 per cent decrease from 2008.
The NSI data reveals that tourists from Norway and Ireland marked the sharpest decline in interest, with 39.5 and 25.7 per cent respectively.
British tourists, "holding the biggest share in ski tourism", according to Dnevnik daily, also accounted for a 20.9 per cent decrease, with about 10 000 Britons coming to Bulgaria in December.
Finally, the statistics show that tourist traffic emanating from Serbia and Macedonia has not increased; on the contrary, it too suffered a marginal decline with 6.4 and 4.4 per cent respectively.
Bulgarian ski resorts expected that once the visa regime for those two countries was lifted in December 19 2009, their citizens would flood hotels. However a warm spell that brought spring temperatures reaching up to 15C in late December and early January might have been one of the reasons why they snubbed Bulgaria.
A total of about 297 000 Bulgarians travelled to other countries in December 2009, or 24.2 per cent less than the previous year. Meanwhile about 357 000 foreigners visited the country, representing a 7.3 per cent decrease as well.
Turkey remained the favoured destination for Bulgarians, according to the report, with about 101 000 people travelling to the country either on holiday or for business, but this also indicated a 5.9 per cent dip on the previous year.
Greece came in second with more than 67 000 Bulgarians visiting the country, a (considerable) 38.6 per cent decrease from 2008.
The NSI data reveals that tourists from Norway and Ireland marked the sharpest decline in interest, with 39.5 and 25.7 per cent respectively.
British tourists, "holding the biggest share in ski tourism", according to Dnevnik daily, also accounted for a 20.9 per cent decrease, with about 10 000 Britons coming to Bulgaria in December.
Finally, the statistics show that tourist traffic emanating from Serbia and Macedonia has not increased; on the contrary, it too suffered a marginal decline with 6.4 and 4.4 per cent respectively.
Bulgarian ski resorts expected that once the visa regime for those two countries was lifted in December 19 2009, their citizens would flood hotels. However a warm spell that brought spring temperatures reaching up to 15C in late December and early January might have been one of the reasons why they snubbed Bulgaria.
-
Print
-
Send via email
- Translate to
-
Share:
Comments
To post comments, please, Login or Register.
Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.
New figures confirm impact of financial crisis on tourism in EU
The number of nights spent in hotels in 2009 fell in all 27 EU states except Sweden, with Bulgaria registering an overall decrease of 16.5 per cent, according to Eurostat.
Bulgarian floods reach Greece and Turkey
Evros in Greece and regions around the Turkish city of Edrine are under an onslaught after torrential rains in Bulgaria in recent days.
Bulgaria's Golden Sands resort suffers 10M leva drop in profits
Experts believe that the outlook for this year could be even worse than 2009, itself a bad 12 months for tourism
Don’t liken us to Greece and Romania, Bulgarian PM asks Merkel
In Berlin, German chancellor Angela Merkel reiterates support for Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s fight against corruption, and agreed that Bulgaria should be assessed on its own merits instead of being compared to neighbouring EU states.
Border blockades, winter weather disrupt travel in Bulgaria
January 24 2010 saw Bulgarian-Greek border checkpoints open during the day, but blockades resumed in the evening, while in eastern Bulgaria, heavy snowfalls and icy temperatures caused serious problems for would-be travellers.
More in this category
Cautionary tales as tour groups caught in the middle of money rows
Foreign and Bulgarian tourists victim of debt row at a Pamporovo hotel, Foreign Ministry intervenes after another tour group delayed in Morocco, and Bulgarian arrested in Serbia for forging receipts for payment for tour group.
Bulgaria to spend 4.2M leva on tourism fairs in 2012
The country will withdraw from participation in some international tourist expos but will join others to promote itself as a tourist destination.
Ski runs on Vitosha Mountain to shut down
Management company says current legislation makes it impossible to run the ski lifts legally.
Varna ranks second by overnight stays in Q3 2011
The municipality accounted for 26.8 per cent of the total number of overnights in the quarter and generated 30.5 per cent of the country's revenue from accommodation services.
Bulgarians' trips abroad rise 20.9% Y/Y in Q3 2011
In July-September, a total of 1.522 million Bulgarians travelled abroad or in the country.
© 2000-2012, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.
Web Design by RIZN
Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted.
Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only
with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site.
Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com.
Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments.
The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the
price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes,
and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.
- Economedia Group portfolio:
- In Bulgarian:
-
Business:
Капитал,
Кариери,
Пазари,
Ho Re Mag,
Регал,
Градът.bg,
Одит,
Foton.bg,
Online shop
- News: Дневник, Европа, Foreign Policy - България
- IT: IDG.BG, Computerworld, PC World, CIO, Networkworld
- Entertainment: Бакхус
-
In English:
The Sofia Echo
georgi, Which airports you travel between. I find London Luton » Varna £89 - Varna London » Luton £ for £102.
for us in the UK,,its become too expensive to fly with wizzair to our apartments,,£400 return per person! ,,we can fly to spain for £100,,,you need to sort your airlines out,,esp wizzair
Well done to Sweden they know what service is about and people will return.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
'I am only talking about what I see everytime I visit BG.I also speak to the Bulgarians who have gone...'
Fine but don't project your opinions onto every other Brit and Bulgarian you don't know and haven't spoken to.
"Valeri if you like BG the way it is you need to get out more."
... also if you hate the way BG is, you need not come back any more....
I am only talking about what I see everytime I visit BG.I also speak to the Bulgarians who have gone to other EU states including the UK these ex pats of BG would never go back. Valeri if you like BG the way it is you need to get out more.
* ..in the PLATE of every...
Anon,
you hit the nail on the head - those two, represent a particular type of forigners in BG who are disappointed that we treat them like everyone else.
Cosmos, I like BG the way it is. I think we have too many tourists and considering that we are not a service types you shouldn't come to BG.
I mean what do we have to do spit in the place of every westerner to teach you not to come?
If you chose to live among us, - very much an [...]
Read the full comment optional proposition, lower your profile and don't expect anyone to shower your spotty ass with kisses.
The only change I see coming is much worse treatment of Brits, as those types of constant postings continue...
The people that live in BG must love living in crap after all there is enough of it. But tourists will not pay to see it a second time so clean up your act,give people the skills to serve on tables they will then take pride in there job. In France & Italy they love it.
Why do Cosmos and Dianne Hatton practically on cue always post a negative comment. If you didn't enjoy your holiday in Bulgaria or dislike the country move on. Does it make you feel better to monitor the news stories for every chance to post a negative commnent?
I hope Bulgaria doesn't turn into some plain vanilla Western standard outpost. There are enough of those in the world already. Let's have some variety. Don't like don't go. Western Europe will be happy to take your holiday spending money.
Cosmos, If you want tourist [...]
Read the full comment industry staff to fawn at your feet because you have money to spend as a tourist try the Carribean, Thailand, Goa, the Maldives, and elsewhere.
*stray dogs;)
"Straight dog" would be me;)
Oliver,
that may be, but there is that particular class of EU tourists, which will always keep coming back to BG - look at Cosmos, or Dianne - sadly we'll never manage to keep them away.
I mean there is a comfort level with the straight dogs that I sense in Cosmos' rants... how out of place he'd feel in the Swiss Alps...
Unfortunately, I have to agree with all of this. Having spent literally thousands of leva (if not pounds) on tourism in the country, mainly as my wife is Bulgarian, but also because I like the people and the country, we hace frankly had enough. Rising prices, often bad service, absolutely appalling transport infrastructure, a show me the money attitude from many hotels and tourist services, I could go on. Lat year and early this year we have been to France and Switzerland on holiday. I hope the country's tourism industry and authorities take some notice of the wider trans in [...]
Read the full comment your report, but quite frankly would be very surprised if they did.
The solution is very simple. In an environment like the now recession are needed very deep discounts. The business in Bulgaria is not used to use discounts, they insist the country is in EU so they ask for EU prices. The got to learn a little from Spain and some other countries, which are getting 75% of GNP from tourism.
I agree, rubbish, stray dogs, prostitutes, crap service, roads that have bomb craters, rip off taxi drivers. Why would anyone want to pay for that.
Its not just Bulgaria, France -10% Italy -11% Greece -10% etc etc etc Don't take it personally. But......All the other countries are in a better state to attract the tourists once the Global recession is over. Bulgaria is still a tip