Twelve journalists from leading UK media were to arrive in Bulgaria on January 16 2012 at the invitation of the Economy, Energy and Tourism ministry, a media statement by the ministry said.
 
Their five-day tour is the third in a series intended to promote tourism to Bulgaria in the UK market, the ministry said.
 
The programme is funded from the Regional Development Operational Programme.
 
The ministry said that the journalists were from "some of the most influential" publications in the UK covering tourism and recreation.
 
The first two tours were focused on cultural and historical tourism, wellness and spa, golf and wine tourism, the ministry said. During those visits, journalists visited Thracian sites, spa resorts, were shown Bulgaria’s scenic beauty and tasted traditional Bulgarian dishes and wines.
 
The tour starting on January 16 is intended to show off Bulgaria as an all-year-round tourism destination, according to the ministry.
 
The journalists’ first scheduled stop was Borovets, where they would be able to take part in night skiing, and the journey is to continue to Rila Monastery and other historical and cultural landmarks on the road to Bansko, with the tour ending in the southern spa resort town of Sandanski.
 
The ministry said that the UK is a key market for Bulgaria’s tourist industry. About 300 000 people from the UK visited Bulgaria as tourists in 2010.
 
The current campaign, which also includes news conferences, workshops, print, television and outdoor advertising, is intended to increase the number of British tourists visiting Bulgaria to 500 000 by 2020.