In a recent announcement, Zaritsa Dinkova, the Bulgarian Minister for Tourism, revealed that her country is making substantial efforts to ensure that it is a welcoming place for all.
Consequently, she added that new tourist routes are being constructed to facilitate the travel of Chinese travelers, who have shown interest in Bulgaria.
In a recent statement, the Minister discussed that in the first seven months of the current year, the country recorded a surge of around 138% in visits from Chinese tourists.
This percentage translated to 6,806 more travelers from China, as compared to the corresponding period in 2022.
Tourism in Bulgaria
Dinkova went on to highlight the appeal of Bulgaria, which has made a name for itself as a year-round destination.
In her words, the country has many popular seaside and winter resorts, rejuvenating mineral springs, pristine sandy beaches, attractive golf courses, and luxurious spa facilities.
Moreover, research was conducted by the Ministry of Tourism to find out specific reasons why Chinese travelers tend to visit Bulgaria.
It was found that travelers from China tend to be captivated by cultural experiences, especially in the most popular cities in Bulgaria, such as Plovdiv, Varna, Sofia, and Veliko Tarnovo.
In the words of Minister Dinkova, the country is also currently working on developing several tourist packages. She divulged that these would cover various other Balkan countries aside from Bulgaria.
As a result, Chinese tourists will have the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the history and culture of the region.
Chinese tourists
On this note, Ye Jiangchun, the Governor of China, has acknowledged that Chinese travelers have expressed a growing fascination with Bulgaria.
He stressed the importance of historical and cultural interactions as a means to boost the ties shared between different countries.
The Governor went on to applaud the idea of building specialized tourist routes, saying that he was confident in their potential for success.
Ye Jiangchun has taken to extend a warm invitation for a productive working visit to Minister Dinkova.
He proposed that the two could visit the Jiangxi Province of China, which houses around 45 million residents.
Tourism data
The Ministry of Tourism in Bulgaria reported a rise in tourists from China, totaling up to 43% as compared to 2017.
Data gathered between the months of January and August 2018 further indicated that income from international tourism in the country reached over €2.8 billion.
This figure is indicative of substantial growth in income, standing at 7.2% higher than the figure recorded back in 2017.
Meanwhile, in July 2023, Bulgaria experienced an influx of tourists, with the year-on-year figure showing a 19.7% increase. The number of passengers, thus, stood at 1.836 million.
This positive trend comes shortly after an increase of 23% was registered in June 2023, which shows that Bulgaria is on the road to recovery.
All tourism figures took a severe hit due to the pandemic in 2022, but 2023 has been a fruitful year, as travel has started to go back to normal.
