The tourist season is picking up speed. It was officially given a start to on 31 May in Pomorie by Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh but as temperatures have been going up these past few days, so have the number of holidaymakers, people from the industry say.

But where do the preferences of Bulgarians lie as they choose their summer holiday destination – do they prefer resorts inside the country or abroad?

“Bulgarians travel inside Bulgaria, but also to other countries. If we take a look at the number of trips overall, their number is higher inside Bulgaria and the reason is that Bulgarians travel inside the country more often. Besides holidaying and overnight stays at hotels, these numbers also includes visiting friends and relatives,” explains Konstanin Zankov, chief expert at the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism. “Overall, we are expecting an increase in the number of trips taken this season, inside Bulgaria as well as abroad. During the active summer season – June-August – we are expecting 3.2 million trips inside the country, and it is important to note that the so-called unique tourists will be almost 2 million in number. This means that there will be a lot of people who will take 2-3 trips during this period, 35% or more will be travelling for a holiday by the sea. Others combine travel with events, visiting friends and relatives and other forms of tourism. In summer, the average number of overnight stays is slightly higher – from 3 to 5.”

In 2024, Bulgarians took 8.8 million trips abroad which is 8% up on the previous year. Now, Konstantin Zankov is predicting that during the summer months we are going to take 1.5 million trips to other counties, with the number of overnight stays going up to 5-7. Bulgarians like to diversify their holidays, with a mix of SPA procedures, fresh mountain air and several days by the sea.

“Bulgaria’s resorts are most diverse, offering places to stay for every type of tourist. Take a look at the region of Primorsko, for example, frequented most of all by families with children. Then take a look to the South, at Lozenets, where the holidaymakers are mostly young people with a taste for night life. Sozopol is connected with cultural and heritage tourism. The people who go to Arapya and the campsites are altogether different. Top destinations along the Southern portion of the coastline include Sozopol, Primorsko, Sunny Beach, Radva, Nessebar, and along the Northern portion – Albena, Golden Sands, Sunny Day, Saints Constantine and Helena.”

The tendency now is of a heightened interest in the Northern portion of the Black Sea coast where people are out to find peace and quiet rather than the lively energy of a holiday to the south.

For Bulgarians, the list of foreign holiday destinations is, expectedly, topped by Greece and Turkey.
“Greece is the No. 1 destination judging by the overnight stays by Bulgarian citizens during the summer period, and mostly in the Northern part of the country where the accommodation is mostly family hotels, apartments. Unlike Turkey, what we have here is mostly all-inclusive vacation packages. Other popular destinations in Europe are Spain and Italy, where there are many attractive packages, charter flights. One destination which is growing more and more popular with very attractive vacation packages is Tunisia.”
The tendency of travelling to more distant and exotic destinations has been picking up, as have cruises, Konstantin Zankov says and explains this fact with the curiosity of Bulgarian holidaymakers.

The optimistic forecasts by analysts seem to be at odds with the observations of a hotel operator from the Southern portion of Bulgaria’s sea coast who says:

“My name is Ivo Tsvetanov and I own a small family hotel and restaurant in Pomorie. Compared to the previous years – 2023 and 2024 – at least for now, this year looks like being slower, but we are still at the beginning of the season.”
The hotel operator says he relies mostly on Bulgarian tourists, but adds that after the country joined the Schengen area more and more Bulgarians have been opting to travel to Northern Greece for their holidays. 

Bulgaria is in no way inferior to Greece, Ivo Tsvetanov says, with regard to the quality/price ratio in tourism. In this country we are seeing a shortage of qualified staff as the season is shorter than it is in Greece and Turkey, while employees tend to seek employment for longer periods. This has meant hotel operators have had to lower the standard when hiring staff. He himself hires mostly school-goers and pensioners.

What are Bulgarians’ preferred destinations during the summer season? Here is our brief vox pop:

“I prefer Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Black Sea coast is very good, a bit cold, but that’s OK,” says Valentina.

32-year old Elitsa also prefers Bulgaria for her summer vacation:

“To my mind, travelling to other countries is more for sightseeing, if you want a laid-back holiday then Bulgaria is the place.”
Vasil, a young man who has lived overseas for more than 10 years and who came back to Bulgaria to set up a business of his own, prefers a holiday in Bulgaria:  

“First, it’s closer, second, it’s cheaper and third, it’s not as hot as in Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia etc. The sea water is not as salty as in Greece or Turkey, and ultimately – you’re home.”
“I choose to spend my holidays abroad, more specifically in Greece, because I don’t like our Black Sea coast,” says Dr. Raychev who works at a hospital in Sofia. “I don’t like the cuisine, I don’t like the service. In Greece it’s cheaper, tourists are treated better, I like the nice sea.”
Whether we opt for Bulgaria or for more exotic destinations, it is obvious Bulgarians are changing the way they spend their summer holidays. “The tendency is to take holidays more often though for shorter periods,” says tourism expert Konstantin Zankov.

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: BGNES, kzankov.com, ANA-MPA, Pixabay, hotelparadisebg.com, visitgreece.gr, visit-halkidiki.gr, pomorietourism.bg