Bulgaria will take part in the largest French tourism expo Salon Mondial du Tourisme on March 15, State Agency for Tourism (SAT) said.

The country will take part in the expo for the ninth time, Focus news agency reported.

Over 110 000 people visited Salon Mondial du Tourisme in 2006, 7 000 of which were professionals. The expo covered 17 000 sq m and hosted 700 participants.

On the occasion of the expo, SAT and the Bulgarian embassy to France organised for the fifth time a presentation of the Bulgarian hospitality sector in the cultural centre of Bulgaria in Paris, Focus reported.

Representatives of the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT), French tour operators, professional tourism media and leading French tourism guides took part in the event.

Representatives of televisions Euronews and Eurosport attended the summit and estimated highly the video advertising Bulgaria on CNN in the beginning of March.

French tourism businesses showed interest in various special types of tourism in Bulgaria including cultural and history tourism.

Bulgaria is included in the catalogs of the largest French tour operators as the number of tourists wanting to visit Bulgaria constantly increases. Nearly 83 062 French tourists visited Bulgaria in 2006, an increase of 12.22 per cent as compared to figures for 2005. The tendency is expected to continue.