Bulgaria ranking 10th in the European Union in terms of overnight stays growth from domestic tourism

08 February 2016

Bulgaria ranks 10th in the European Union in terms of growth of overnight stays from domestic tourism. In 2015, the number of overnight stays of Bulgarian citizens in the country (in accommodation establishments with more than 10 beds) has grown by 6.2% against 2014 which exceeds significantly the EU average of only 3%. This Eurostat data was discussed at a meeting of the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova with local government and tourism industry representatives of Velingrad Municipality.

“While the region is a favorite place of Bulgarians for year-round recreation and travel, the Ministry is working to promote domestic tourism”, said Nikolina Angelkova. “This year we continue with the billboard campaign jointly implemented with municipalities”, she went on to say. So far the campaign has involved 11 municipalities and it has emerged earlier today that Velingrad will also join in.

According to data provided by Velingrad municipality, a total of about 165 thousand tourists have registered in 2015 in local hotel facilities. Only 55 thousand of these are foreigners. Last year the number of overnight stays has reached a total of about 355 thousand. Over 12 thousand people have visited the Historical Museum in Velingrad and the Tourist Information Center has served more than 4 thousand visitors.

“I am truly delighted that it is namely in Velingrad, labeled as the “Spa Capital of the Balkans”, where I can announce that the ordinance we have drafted on spa and thalassotherapy centers is already an actual fact and within a matter of days we’ll see it published in the State Gazette”, Minister Angelkova said. She added that a pilot project to turn Velingrad a center for vocational training of tourism staff is soon to be launched.

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