Bulgaria’s tourist numbers, revenue up in 2011 – National Tourism Board
byThe Sofia Echo

Bulgaria’s 2011 summer tourism season has proven better than that of last year, with forecasts of earnings from foreign tourists ending 4.5 per cent higher at about 2.7 billion euro, according to the National Tourism Board.

Revenue from Bulgarian tourists do not likely exceed 1.5 billion euro, the board said, as reported by television station bTV.

The full-year increase in the number of tourists is expected to be 14 per cent, the board said on August 28 2011, which Bulgaria celebrates as the Day of Tourism.

The board said that summer 2011 had seen a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Bulgaria from Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. There was a slight increase in tourists from the United Kingdom and Germany.

Provisional figures for the peak month of August confirm initial expectations of the tourist industry of more visitors to Bulgaria’s Black Sea, a trend that was indicated by an increase in early bookings at hotels.

The tourism board expects that end-of-season discounts, aided by forecasts of fine weather, will mean a good September for Bulgaria’s tourism industry.