Bulgaria uses up to five per cent of the potential of its mineral springs, deputy head of the State Agency for Tourism (SAT) Stanislav Novakov said.

Sofia has 46 mineral springs and no facilities make use of them, Novakov said. Spa tourism should be developed since nearly 90 per cent of the springs in the country have healing power, he said.

Only foreigners living in Bulgaria and Bulgarians make use of spa tourism opportunities. These remain unpopular among the foreign visitors of the country.

Bulgaria should try harder to popularise this type of tourism, Novakov said. In May, it will take part in a spa and wellness forum to be carried out in Finland.

A spa seminar will be carried out in Sofia from April 24 to 28. Representatives of Austria, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia will participate in the forum.

Foreign participants will travel to Kiustendil, Velingrad, Bansko, Katarino and Hisarya, some of Bulgaria’s most well known spa destinations.