Minister Nikolina Angelkova: We will welcome some 5 mil. international tourists during summer 2016

Half a million Bulgarians are expected to travel country-wide during the holidays around September 22 

Forecasts suggest that we will have welcomed between 4,8 and 5 mil. international tourists during Summer 2016, which will be a record. This was made clear during today’s visit of the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, in The Week news show of Darik Radio.

„During the first seven months of 2016 (January to July), Bulgaria was visited by 4,5 mil. international tourists, which is a nearly 17% growth vis-à-vis the same period of 2015, Minister Angelkova announced. During the first seven months, all tourists (Bulgarian and international) have made a total of some 14 mil. night-stays, which constitutes an over 18% growth, with the revenues earned amounting to some BGN 665 mil. „These stats demonstrate that the efforts we are making to achieve our major goal – to turn our country into an year-round tourism destination – are yielding results“, she commented, adding that if these rates are sustained until the year’s end, 2016 will turn out to be the most successful one for Bulgarian tourists.

What is observed this year is a return of tourists from France, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, while maintaining interest from traditionally big markets for Bulgarian tourism, such as Romania, Germany, UK, Israel, etc., it was made clear by the Minister. „We are achieving very good results on the Russia market“, she emphasized. According to stats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian visas issued at Bulgarian consular services during the April-August period exceed 260 000, with growth being in the 20 - 30% range, vis-à-vis the previous year. These stats come against the backdrop of general decline in Russian travel on a global scale – according to the Union of Russian Tourism Industry’s stats, as disseminated in the media, the number of Russian tourists traveling abroad during H1 of  2016 has declined by some 28%, compared to the previous year.

Half a million Bulgarians are expected to travel country-wide during the holidays around September 22. The seaside resorts are the most preferred but there are also trips to Bulgaria’s interior, it was made clear by the Minister. She commented further that rates at the Black Sea coast are now 30% lower than the summer offers. Our mountain and spa resorts are also preparing special offers for the holidays.

„Tourist flow between Bulgaria and Greece is comparable, with some 630 000 Bulgarians having visited our southern neighbour during the first seven months, while 600 000 Greeks have visited our country“, Minister Angelkova said, responding to a query about our southern neighbour’s advantages. She commented that sustainable growth of travel both ways is observed. „During the first two summer months – June and July – more Greek tourists came to Bulgaria than Bulgarians going to Greece. These are official stats, which suggest that we are also an attractive destination for our neighbours“, Minister Angelkova commented. In absolute terms, over 286 000 Greeks came to Bulgaria during June and July, while 216 000 Bulgarians went to Greece during the same period, which stats about the Greek tourist flow being formulated based on the night-stays made. „It is very important for us that Bulgarians remain interested in travelling within their country. Stats reveal a growth of some 11% in domestic tourism during the first 7 months of the year“, the Minister of Tourism said. She added that during the high vacation period, June and July, over 800 000 stayed at categorized accommodation facilities of 10+ beds in Bulgaria (another growth of some 10%).