Tourism Increases by 50% in Bulgaria

According to statistics held by the Economy Ministry, over the past three years, the number of foreign tourists to Bulgaria increased 50%. According to the same records, investments in the tourism sector exceeded 500 million Euro over the past five years, with about 90% of private investments being of Bulgarian origin. A rapid increase has been seen in the construction of large-scale hotels at the Black Sea coast and at mountain resorts. This trend is expected to continue.

According to National Statistics Institute figures released on March 10, 2005, more than 7 million foreigners visited Bulgaria in 2004, up 11.9% year on year, of which 4 million were tourists. The largest increases in any one national group included visitors from Ireland up by 81.6%, the United Kingdom 60.5%, and Portugal 60%.

Sofia Echo