Japanese and Chinese journalists make get-to-know tours around Bulgaria

11 September 2016

The Ministry of Tourism arranged two get-to-know tours around Bulgaria for journalists and tour operators from Japan and China. These were attended by representatives of some of the biggest tour operators in these Asian countries, as well as by popular bloggers. The purpose of these trips was to reveal Bulgaria’s advantages as a tourism destination via its lifestyle, culture, and traditions.

The Asian guests visited some of Bulgaria’s most beautiful areas – Sofia, Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Karlovo, Hissar, Starosel, Rila Monastery, Melnik, Bansko, and Sandanski. They had the opportunity to become familiar with culture monuments, taste typical Bulgarian cuisine, learn more about the customs and traditions in our lands, and also got to see the opportunities for wellness and spa tourism.

China is a target market for Bulgaria, with the 2015 number of tourists from that country being over 15 000 – a 7% growth on 2014. Chinese tourists visiting Bulgaria for recreation and vacation purposes were nearly 8 900, an over 41% growth. For the first 7 months of 2016 Chinese tourists in our country have been nearly 10 900, thus registering a nearly 25% growth vis-à-vis the same period of last year.

Japan is also an important market for Bulgarian tourism. In 2015 Japanese tourists in Bulgaria exceeded 11 300. During the January-July period of 2016 their number in our country was over 8 000, thus registering a nearly 22% growth vis-à-vis the same period of 2015.

Chinese and Japanese guests mainly take interest in traditions of production of Bulgarian rose products and Bulgarian yoghurt. They are among the most active international tourists visiting the Rose Valley during the rose-picking season and the traditional rose festivals in Kazanlak and Karlovo. Their most preferred tourists products include visits to cultural-historical sites, balneo- and spa services, folklore- and themed festivals, city tours, etc.

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