[size=55:2deax84m]BNR 13 October 2010

Bulgaria falls behind with camping tourism



Camping tourism has turned out to be a successful industry throughout Europe. This kind of a “green holiday” has become a lifestyle for many Europeans. They travel across the continent each summer, looking for new comfortable spots among nature for their tent or camper. However, such adventurous people are quite surprised at their arrival to Bulgaria and sometimes – even disappointed. The main reason for that is the fact that few Bulgarian camping sites respond to European standards, while the majority of them are in poor condition.



Data, provided by the Eurostat agency shows that the level of development of camping tourism in Bulgaria is the lowest in the EU. No more than 68 000 tourists chose to spend their holiday in a tent in 2008 and that was barely 0.4% from the total number of tourists in Bulgaria for that period. To compare, 43% of tourists in Denmark spent their holiday then under the stars. And the climate there is quite colder. Besides that, Bulgaria takes the last but one position, as far as the number of camping sites is concerned – barely 13, according to the research data. However, it may concern only the renewed sites that are included in the European information nets on the issue, since the actual number of camping sites in Bulgaria is far bigger. The problem is that some of them have not been repaired for 20 years and one has to face a bunch of difficulties in order to place a tent there. There are also many deserted places from the communist era. The truth is that the transition years affected the camping tourism of this country really bad. The irresponsible construction works from the past decade have really hurt these oases too. Luxury hotels replaced them with their casinos, bingo halls and nightclubs. Despite all of this, there are well-equipped camping sites with a lot of visitors in Bulgaria too. Take a walk along the Southern coastline at the summer’s peak and you will find the camping sites near the towns of Burgas and Sozopol full of people. All the places have been booked since the spring, the owners say. For instance, the Arapia camping site – a famous place for those, who like to spend their nights under the stars.

“It’s all full – both the camper vans and the tents – Mrs. Toni Naskova, an owner of a small villa near the site, explains. – It’s hard to find vacant spots for more than 2-3 days. All the places have been booked in advance. However, small local restaurants have less customers – obviously people have been affected by the crisis. Foreigners also rest here and they always come back with their friends. They are amazed by the beauty of the place, but they are obviously not well informed on the options for this kind of holiday in Bulgaria.”



Arapia, Yug, Dolphin and Silistar – these are the names of the most visited camping sites along the coastline. There are several nice spots near the city of Varna to the North too. Different foreigners can be found there, some of them spending every summer in their favorite camping sites without being too impressed by the bad infrastructure. They find Bulgaria an exotic and attractive country with remarkable history that is worth knowing better. There are also good camping sites inside the state that respond 100% to the European standards. However, most fans of this kind of holidays do not seek luxury, but touch with the wild nature. And Bulgaria has what to show – the websites, full with adds and addresses that increase each year, prove it!

Bulgaria Is 'More than Sea, Beaches' at Germany's Tourism Exhibition

Bulgaria will take part in the International Holiday Exhibition CMT in Stuttgart, Germany and will present itself as a diverse holiday destination, the Bulgarian Economy Ministry has announced.

This year's edition of the exhibition, which will be held Tuesday, will focus on traditional tourism and travelling by caravans and motorcycles.

Bulgaria will participate with a 36 square meter stand, which will present the Municipality of the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna and the resort Albena. The theme of the presentation will be "
Diverse opportunities for holidays in Bulgaria – more than sea and beaches."


The Economy Ministry has stated that 1850 exhibitors from 100 countries took part in the exhibition, which was visited by 200,000 people.

Admin wrote:

[size=55:2s3leuah]BNR 13 October 2010

Bulgaria falls behind with camping tourism



Camping tourism has turned out to be a successful industry throughout Europe. This kind of a “green holiday” has become a lifestyle for many Europeans. They travel across the continent each summer, looking for new comfortable spots among nature for their tent or camper. However, such adventurous people are quite surprised at their arrival to Bulgaria and sometimes – even disappointed. The main reason for that is the fact that few Bulgarian camping sites respond to European standards, while the majority of them are in poor condition.



Data, provided by the Eurostat agency shows that the level of development of camping tourism in Bulgaria is the lowest in the EU. No more than 68 000 tourists chose to spend their holiday in a tent in 2008 and that was barely 0.4% from the total number of tourists in Bulgaria for that period. To compare, 43% of tourists in Denmark spent their holiday then under the stars. And the climate there is quite colder. Besides that, Bulgaria takes the last but one position, as far as the number of camping sites is concerned – barely 13, according to the research data. However, it may concern only the renewed sites that are included in the European information nets on the issue, since the actual number of camping sites in Bulgaria is far bigger. The problem is that some of them have not been repaired for 20 years and one has to face a bunch of difficulties in order to place a tent there. There are also many deserted places from the communist era. The truth is that the transition years affected the camping tourism of this country really bad. The irresponsible construction works from the past decade have really hurt these oases too. Luxury hotels replaced them with their casinos, bingo halls and nightclubs. Despite all of this, there are well-equipped camping sites with a lot of visitors in Bulgaria too. Take a walk along the Southern coastline at the summer’s peak and you will find the camping sites near the towns of Burgas and Sozopol full of people. All the places have been booked since the spring, the owners say. For instance, the Arapia camping site – a famous place for those, who like to spend their nights under the stars.

“It’s all full – both the camper vans and the tents – Mrs. Toni Naskova, an owner of a small villa near the site, explains. – It’s hard to find vacant spots for more than 2-3 days. All the places have been booked in advance. However, small local restaurants have less customers – obviously people have been affected by the crisis. Foreigners also rest here and they always come back with their friends. They are amazed by the beauty of the place, but they are obviously not well informed on the options for this kind of holiday in Bulgaria.”



Arapia, Yug, Dolphin and Silistar – these are the names of the most visited camping sites along the coastline. There are several nice spots near the city of Varna to the North too. Different foreigners can be found there, some of them spending every summer in their favorite camping sites without being too impressed by the bad infrastructure. They find Bulgaria an exotic and attractive country with remarkable history that is worth knowing better. There are also good camping sites inside the state that respond 100% to the European standards. However, most fans of this kind of holidays do not seek luxury, but touch with the wild nature. And Bulgaria has what to show – the websites, full with adds and addresses that increase each year, prove it!

Reminds me of "
Carry on Camping"
- where's Barbara Windsor???? "
Come on Sid"

Those were the days, they don't make em like that anymore.........................Thank god