New Year is a community type of fest, unlike Christmas which we tend to spend with our closest relatives. Tourist branch experts call the last day of the year ‘a corporate fest’, as many opt for teambuilding-like events, especially if they work in small and medium-sized companies. Some people gather and book guesthouses or hotels, spending a few days together. Most of the Bulgarians will once again opt for welcoming the New Year within the borders of their motherland, just like in any other country – the major share of voyages will take place here. Around 300,000 Bulgarians have decided to spend their New Year holiday in Bulgarian resorts. 1/3 of that number – some 110,000 have opted for foreign destinations – mostly Serbia, Greece, Turkey, Macedonia and Romania, followed by Germany, Spain and Italy due mainly to the fact that relatives reside there. Bulgarians shall also travel outside Europe, headed to destinations which they think will be pleasant through the winter – the greatest number of voyages booked show Asian states, Dubai, Indonesia and the Caribbean Basin where the temperatures are higher now. A total of 6,000 Bulgarians have picked up exotic destinations which is a small percentage of the holiday makers, data of the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism show.

‘The tourist sector in Bulgaria says goodbye to an unusual year,’ says Rumen Draganov, head of the institute, adding that:

‘We had 15 mln. less tourists to neighboring Turkey due to geopolitics, 4 mln. less towards Egypt and Tunisia. The tourist flow towards France and Belgium was cut short by 10 mln. Tour operators looked for peaceful, calm and fresh destinations, such as Bulgaria. The country was totally prepared to welcome the enhanced tourist flow, as billions had been invested in infrastructure, new hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities etc.’

The 2016 assessment of Bulgarian tour operators, hotel and restaurant owners is that the challenge has been met in a successful manner – a visibly increased number of guests have been welcomed, most of those first timers here, Rumen Draganov says and adds:

‘We haven’t received a single complaint on behalf of major tour operators, tourists or customers across mass media nowhere around the major markets where we are represented – Germany, Russia, Scandinavia. I notice that our media don’t tackle anymore issues such as alcohol tourism at the Sunny Beach resort, red plankton or the appearance of prey fish in the Black Sea, the way they used to do. Moreover, news has started to spread on the successes of Bulgarian tourism-profiled high school and university students all over the world. Those are very well received across the globe, they work in big resorts, on cruise ships and nowadays I meet literally everywhere foreigners who know and recognize the good work of the Bulgarians. This says a lot about our capabilities and the sense we have in the spheres of services and tourism. Guests from abroad see it as a pleasant surprise that here in Bulgaria, even in small border settlements they find organized marvelous festivals with great variety of topics. There are very good facilities built up among nature for extreme and youth tourism. All this is combined with the magnificent Bulgarian cuisine. So, tourists get naturally attracted to this country over the entire year,’ Rumen Draganov concludes.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev