Bulgaria's tourism industry expects a strong winter season

The upcoming winter season promises to be a strong one for Bulgaria's tourism sector, according to Rumen Draganov, Director of the Institute for Analysis and Assessment of Tourism, cited by Focus. Bookings started as early as June. Last year, harsh weather conditions and heavy snowfall made the country's roads virtually impassable for a period of around 10 days, which significantly hindered traveling across Bulgaria, especially for people bound for winter resorts. The picture was similar in neighboring Serbia and Romania, whose governments also declared a state of emergency. Consequently, the number of visiting foreigners dropped, mostly at the end of January and throughout February, Draganov noted. "Due to the spring general elections in Greece and the ongoing crisis in the country, Bulgaria registered 14% less tourist visits in April. Expectations are that this winter season will match the performance during the 2010-11 season, which means that as a whole the tourism industry will achieve better year-on-year results, barring another harsh winter in the 2012-13 season," Draganov said.

"Around 70% of the people who vacation in Bulgaria are natives, which is generally in line with the average figure for EU member countries - 60-65%. This summer, Bulgarians chose to spend their holiday in the mountains as much as on the beach. Thanks to people who prefer to take advantage of hiking routes and chalets offering every comfort, this type of tourism recorded a 35% growth this year."

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