Bulgaria has presented a variety of tourist services at the Отдых/Leisure exhibition in Moscow

The Ministry of Tourism participated with an information counter of 100 sq.m. in the 22^nd International Tourism Exhibition 2016 in Moscow. The exhibition also presented four Bulgarian tourist companies with a leading role for the Russian market. They also took part in the presentation ”Welcome to Bulgaria”, which featured the capabilities of our country to offer attractive vacations for the winter season 2016/2017, as well as various offers for children's recreation, wellness, balneo- and spa holidays, which are of great interest for the Russian citizens. One of the leading motives in the choice of a tourist destination is the fact that Bulgaria is a peaceful and secure destination with competitive prices.

The exhibition is the biggest specialized event in the second half of the year in Russia and it is also an official event of the Federal Tourism Agency. Bulgaria has participated in the exhibition for a 12^th consecutive year. This year edition of Отдых/Leisure has had over 700 participants from 70 countries, as well as from many regions in Russia. According to estimates, the exhibitions have been attended by 70 ths people – both experts and end-users.

Russia is an important generating market for the Bulgarian tourism. In the period January - July 2016, the federation was fourth in the ranking of the National Statistical Institute of foreign tourists by almost 360 ths visitors, which is by 14% more compared to the same period of the preceding year. The results from the first month of this summer are very good. In July Russia occupied second place with over 157 thousand visits (growth of approximately 18%). For the period June - July 2016, the visits from this country were nearly 293 ths (third place), which is an increase of 18% compared to the same months of 2015.

According to data of the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria, the number of visas issued to Russian citizens for Bulgaria exceeds 264 ths - 25% increase compared to the same period in 2015.

The long average stay in our country is typical for the Russian tourists, which is also determinant of the great importance of the Russian market for the development of the Bulgarian tourism. The data for the period June - July 2016 show that the average stay of a Russian tourist in Bulgaria is 8 overnights (or 9 days). This places the Russian tourists in the first place according to the indicator of average length of stay among 37 countries, of which Bulgaria keeps statistics.