While the winter resorts are wondering how to attract the last skiers to close the season, summer tourists have already started arriving in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria’s two coastal airports, in Varna and Bourgas, expected a successful and dynamic season given the number of charter and regular flights scheduled so far for the summer of 2008, airport spokesperson Ivilina Panayotova told The Sofia Echo.

Although the active summer season will begin more than a month from now, the first charter flights with 450 German tourists aboard landed at Varna Airport on March 17. Another German group landed on March 19 and even more numerous groups from Austria are to arrive in April.  These early tourists will make use of the balneology, spa and cultural tourism opportunities along the northern Black Sea coast.

More than 50 airlines have already announced flights to and from Varna Airport, Panayotova said. The ‘newcomers’ so far are Swiss International Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Lithuanian Airlines, Air Italy Polska and Lvov Avia. They will fly to Zurich, Vilnius, Warsaw, Katowice and Lvov in the summer of 2008. BH Air will start flying to Edinburgh.

The first 74 summer tourists in Bourgas arrived on March 30 from Scandinavia via regular a Sterling Copenhagen-Bourgas flight, Panayotova told The Sofia Echo. Following the airport administration’s tradition, the tourists were welcomed with a brass band and numerous presents.

Kalin Barzov, Bourgas Airport director, said that the airport was ready for the active summer season. In April, Bourgas would receive tourist groups from Germany, Scandinavia, Israel and the UK. A total of 63 air carriers will fly to Bourgas, including Air Berlin, Air Mediterranee, Air Baltic Corporation, Edelweissair, Latcharter Airlines, Swiss Sun, Seagle Air and Lviv Airlines, which have signed contracts with the airport for the first time. Low-cost airline Sterling will launch two new regular flights in 2008, to Stockholm on Saturdays and to Goteborg on Wednesdays.

Bourgas Airport expected an increase of the number of Russian, Czech and German tourists. A common trend over the past years was ‘last minute’ passengers to arrive at the airport and decide on the spot where to go, Barzov said. The number of such passengers was growing and last-moment changes were possible, he added. Fortunately, Bulgarian tour operators and hotel owners reacted very quickly to such situations and offered attractive packages targeting this group, he said.