Russians Head to Bulgaria, Ski Boots in Hand

balkan insight

03 Nov 2010 / 08:26

Bulgaria is expecting only a slight overall increase in tourist visits for the winter season, but the number of Russians heading to the Balkan country has swung up dramatically.

Boryana DzhambazovaSofia
“The number of bookings on charter flights from Russia to Bulgaria is 25-30 per cent higher for this winter season,” said Ivo Marinov, Bulgaria's deputy minister of economy, energy and tourism, on Tuesday.

“We have held talks to increase the number of flights between the two countries and I expect that more Russian citizens will visit Bulgaria,” he added.

The government is predicting a three per cent increase in tourist visits during the winter months compared to 2009, due mainly to the anticipated increase in holidaymakers from Russia.

“Russians are coming back to Bulgaria as a preferred tourist destination. They’re spending their summer vocations here, buying property and spending their money here,” Ivan Ivanov, head of the Association of Specialised Experts in Tourism, told Balkan Insight.

For the first nine months of this year the number of Russians tourists in Bulgaria grew by almost 32 per cent over 2009 figures, reaching around 354,000 people, data from the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism show.

Bulgaria, one of the closest allies of the Soviet Union during the communist era, was a favourite summer destination for Russian tourists who regularly flooded seaside resorts before the fall of the regime in 1989.

Lured by cheap prices and new hotels, Russians are now coming back to Bulgarian resort towns and snatching up vacation homes in the Balkan country.

balkan insight

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bulgaria-expects-more-russian-tourists-in-winter