Results of the summer tourist season and forecasts for the coming winter season

Prices and Analyses

On the threshold between the two active tourist seasons in Bulgaria and on the occasion of the World Tourism Day marked on 27 September, tourist sector experts in Bulgaria have reported the results of the past summer season and the expectations of the upcoming winter tourist season. Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy, Ivo Marinov, offered encouragement, calling the 2011summer tourist season in Bulgaria a good one, despite some difficulties and disorders that affected negatively some Russian holiday makers. There has been a 5-percent increase in the number of tourists who chose the Bulgarian Black Sea during this summer. It is mostly due to the growth of tourists from Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary. There has been also a growth in guests from neighboring Serbia, Macedonia and Romania. The profits from the summer tourist season so far have amounted to more than 1.5 billion euro. Spa tourism has earned the highest profits. On the whole, the sector has seen a 10% growth in revenue and in tourists.

More from Stefan Sharlopov, chairman of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism
"Two and a half years ago, the tourist sector was severely affected by the global economic crisis. Data now suggest that we are going forward. That is why we consider this summer season a successful one. We believe that next year the data will be even better. Tourism will be an increasingly important part of the country’s gross domestic product. We strive to build the tourism product of Bulgaria. Besides beaches and ski slopes, our country has much more to offer such as high-quality spa and wellness resorts and remarkable historical and cultural heritage. We also have good opportunities for the development of gourmet tourism and ecotourism. "

The results business and conference tourism are not so optimistic, however. "Business hotels are faced with serious financial difficulties," said Blagoy Ragin, Chairman of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA). Business hotels in Sofia and across the country have reported a 30-percent drop in revenues due to reduced foreign investment. For the past nine months of this year, as little as 22 per cent of hotel rooms in Sofia have been used. A slight increase is seen only in terms of cultural tourism in the capital Sofia. As for the upcoming winter tourist season, the expectations are for a 5 per cent growth on last year.

"It is too early to predict with accuracy”, says Nelly Sandalska, Vice Chairman of the National Confederation of the Tourism Industry in Bulgaria. “Our forecasts are based primarily on the interest towards our country at the tourism fair in London. Another market that we rely upon, Russia, has not yet announced its demand for Bulgarian ski resorts. Usually, the demand starts growing in the second half of October and early November."

The most preferred winter resorts by foreign tourists are traditionally Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko, offering good conditions for winter sports. However, opportunities for winter tourism can be found in many other towns in our country. Many tourist offers from this country can be seen ay the newly-launched national tourist site www.bulgariatravel.org. This site has versions in 9 languages, a multimedia catalog including information on more than 400 tourist sites, over 4 thousand photos and 50 videos. It features nine types of tourism in Bulgaria, including marine, ski, spa, rural, congress, culture, adventure tourism and others.

Text and photo: bnr.bg

 

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(30.09.2011)