FIGURES at the close of the tourism season show an increase of German tourists and a decrease in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian holidaymakers to Bulgaria.
Vacationers from Germany are expected to reach 39 per cent more than in the past season.
Blagoi Ragin, chairman of the Bulgarian Hotelier and Restauranteur Association, released this information on August 29.
Last year about 360 000 Germans spent their holidays in Bulgaria compared to 100 000 Russian tourists due to the introduction of visa restrictions. Ragin said West Europeans prefer the resorts of Albena, Golden Sands, Sunny Beach and Saint Konstantin and Elena.
Last year Bulgaria’s tourism revenues reached $ 1.2 billion when about 6 million foreigners visited Bulgaria.
“Bulgaria should have a ministry of tourism or else tourism must be run together with sports,” said Tsvetan Tonchev, the president of the Bulgarian Chamber of Tourism. He believes that the Economy Ministry is too big to resolve problems in the tourist business.
The Tourist Chamber expects a 15 per cent increase in tourists each year, with forecasts based on statistics for the number of arrivals of charter flights to the Black Sea cities of Bourgas and Varna.
Varna airport welcomed 132 000 vacationers and the Bourgas airport had an 18 per cent increase in tourist arrivals.
The National Statistics Institute indicated favourite destinations of Bulgarian vacationers for the first part of the year. A total of 392 430 people went to Turkey on holiday. Yugoslavia was second with 270 077 people who marked tourism as a reason for traveling, while 212 863 people went to Greece and 120 419 visited Macedonia in the first part of the year, and 72 910 people went to Romania and 33 174 to Italy.
Vacationers from Germany are expected to reach 39 per cent more than in the past season.
Blagoi Ragin, chairman of the Bulgarian Hotelier and Restauranteur Association, released this information on August 29.
Last year about 360 000 Germans spent their holidays in Bulgaria compared to 100 000 Russian tourists due to the introduction of visa restrictions. Ragin said West Europeans prefer the resorts of Albena, Golden Sands, Sunny Beach and Saint Konstantin and Elena.
Last year Bulgaria’s tourism revenues reached $ 1.2 billion when about 6 million foreigners visited Bulgaria.
“Bulgaria should have a ministry of tourism or else tourism must be run together with sports,” said Tsvetan Tonchev, the president of the Bulgarian Chamber of Tourism. He believes that the Economy Ministry is too big to resolve problems in the tourist business.
The Tourist Chamber expects a 15 per cent increase in tourists each year, with forecasts based on statistics for the number of arrivals of charter flights to the Black Sea cities of Bourgas and Varna.
Varna airport welcomed 132 000 vacationers and the Bourgas airport had an 18 per cent increase in tourist arrivals.
The National Statistics Institute indicated favourite destinations of Bulgarian vacationers for the first part of the year. A total of 392 430 people went to Turkey on holiday. Yugoslavia was second with 270 077 people who marked tourism as a reason for traveling, while 212 863 people went to Greece and 120 419 visited Macedonia in the first part of the year, and 72 910 people went to Romania and 33 174 to Italy.
