BULGARIA`S REVENUE FROM INTERNATIONAL TOURISM INCREASES

A total of 4 839 746 foreign citizens visited Bulgaria over the January-November 2006 period, the State Agency for Tourism said. This is 5.54 per cent higher compared with the same period of 2005. Of this figure, 4 103 268 of these foreign citizens visited Bulgaria for recreation and vacation without the children indicated in parents’ passports.

According to preliminary data, revenue from international tourism (without transport) for the first 10 months of 2006 came to 1 886 200 000 euro, or 4.2 per cent more than in 2005. Costs of Bulgarian citizens travelling abroad in the same period stood at 999 800 000 euro, a 13.34 per cent rise year-on-year. In the January-November 2006 period, Bulgarians took a total of 3 847 683 trips abroad, or a 1.85 per cent decline year-on-year. The largest number of Bulgarian citizens travelled to Turkey.

European Union countries continue to be Bulgaria’s most important generating market for international tourism with a relative share of 52.23 per cent.

The end of the year saw the appointment of Yordan Radev as chairman of the Bulgarian Convention and Visitors Bureau. Radev, who has been executive director of the International Fair – Plovdiv since 2001, is expected to help this new segment of Bulgarian tourism to develop at a fast pace. An example of such spurring on might be the new Sofia-Vienna route offered by the low-cost air carrier Sky Europe. The flights, occurring on a brand new Boeing 737-700, will start on March 26 and will be available every day of the week except Sunday. Passengers might be using the brand new terminal of Sofia Airport, which officially opened on December 27.




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