January-September Tourists in Bulgaria to Exceed 10.3 Million
By the end of September, the number of tourists serviced in Bulgaria since the beginning of the year will exceed 10.3 million people, including 5.7 million Bulgarians, Roumen Draganov, Director of the Institute for Analysis and Assessments in Tourism, told BTA on September 27.
Draganov is taking part in the third annual congress of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, which is underway near the seaside city of Varna. The guests at the congress include European Spa Association President Thierry Dubois, Bulgaria's Deputy Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva, Deputy Environment and Water Minister Atanaska Nikolova, municipality mayors and international experts.
Draganov said Germany remains the number one market for Bulgaria travel. He predicted that the number of German visitors to Bulgaria will exceed 700,000. Besides being most numerous, the Germans usually stay in this country longer than any other foreigners. There are also many guests from neighbouring Romania and Greece, but their average stay here is far shorter.
BTA