[size=75:2ih9r1mm]Focus news 11 March 2010

Bookings for the summer tourist season are going very well

Bookings for the summer tourist season are going very well, the Director of the Institute for analysis and assessment in tourism Rumen Draganov, said in an interview for FOCUS News Agency. He said that this in information in Germany and in England, which last year were almost "
hit bottom"
.
There is improved in the number of tourists at the beginning of the winter season and this trend will persist throughout the year after the stabilization of the British currency and, accordingly, in England as well. Also positive is the effect of the removal of visas for Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia, we witness an increase in the number of tourists from these countries since January.
It is expected to maintain the trend of increasing in number of tourists from Romania and the huge interest among Greek tourists.


Decrease in number of night-stay is worrying

Worrying in terms of tourism is the decrease in the number of night-stays, Director of the institute for analysis and assessment in tourism Rumen Draganov said in an interview for FOCUS News Agency.
Bulgarian tourism has recorded nearly 2 million night-stays less last year. Accordingly, the annual average number of booked beds fell below 25%, which is worrying. What we need to put an accent in 2010, is not only to monitor the index of number of tourists, which obviously we have a result. We see the decline in number of bookings for night-stay, which means that tourists stay less and therefore enjoy less services and our revenue from tourism is less, he said.
There is increase in the frequency of traveling but reduce in the average duration of 2.8 to 2.1.


Greek traders announce 20%-50% discounts for Easter holidays

Athens. Traders in Greece are getting ready to launch 20% to 59% discounts around the Easter holidays, Greek Ta Nea newspaper reports.
The measures come as an attempt to decrease the downturn in revenues around the holidays, which is expected to reach 20%.
After the 30% drop in turnovers during the winter discounts and the lower consumer’s demand since the beginning of March, retail traders are concerned that it would be hard to make consumers go shopping.
Greek traders are also ready to cover the upcoming price hike after the increase in the value added tax (VAT), announced by the cabinet as part of the measures for budget recovery.
“After the measures were announced, the market froze”, says the executive director of a popular company for women’s clothes.
It is expected that discounts reach 50% for clothes, shoes, electric appliances, furniture and household appliances, even for toys.

LOAD OF BO"
"
%CKS [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] This country is BRASICK! :Beam Nothing like talking up the economy!!

Well i wouldnt say it is the finish yet loup as Bansko have had thier busiest winter season then what they have ever had!!! yet last year that hit bottom, so you never know!!

I think we all need to try to see the positive sides not just the negative!

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE,THESE PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING WHERE WE GO ON A SUNDAY THEY HAVE NO MONEY AND NO HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT,MY FRIEND IS TURKISH AND ONLY ON THURSDAY HE TOLD US "
NE POMOSHT ,NE PARYEE, NISSSHTO.., He has a family and nothing coming in apart from his in-laws 150bgn.We are not in Bansko we are in the real BG,in the country where the poverty is!! Where people have nothing and we mean nothing , where everyday is a day for survival ,where the feed for the animals is an on going question , where the money for their kids education is not a case of when but how? where the next meal is coming from,that is not tourism that is life!!

I don;
t like coffee so wont be waking up and smeeling it and yes i agree there are plenty of poor areas i know i have travelled more or less all bulgaria but we are talking about 'BOOKINGS FOR SUMMER' i was merely using bansko as an example, sorry if you misunderstood. Lets not go off topic :)

LittleSteps wrote:

I don;
t like coffee so wont be waking up and smeeling it and yes i agree there are plenty of poor areas i know i have travelled more or less all bulgaria but we are talking about 'BOOKINGS FOR SUMMER' i was merely using bansko as an example, sorry if you misunderstood. Lets not go off topic :)

Agreed lets keep this on topic guy's