Zaritsa Dinkova, the Minister of Tourism in Bulgaria, has announced that the country has forecasted a higher number of visitors.
According to the minister, this surge in the number of travelers is expected soon after the country becomes a partial member of the Schengen Area.
As of now, it has been decided that Bulgaria will be able to connect to the rest of the countries in the region by sea and air from the 31st of March, 2024.
Schengen Area
As a result of the country partially joining the Schengen Area, it will no longer carry out border checks on travelers making their way into the various member states in the region.
However, this rule will only be applicable to visitors entering the member countries through maritime and air borders.
On this note, Minister Dinkova stated that the accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen Area will boost the travel and tourism sector of the country.
Moreover, she stipulated that it would eliminate a wide range of inconveniences that visitors often have to deal with when trying to enter the member states.
In the words of the Minister of Tourism, travelers will also be saved from the hassle of waiting for border checks, which will significantly reduce time spent on passing through terminals.
She went on to add that without any border checks, more and more travelers would want to make their way to the member states within the Schengen Area.
Tourism
As of now, Bulgaria is not a part of the EU member states. However, data shows that it has recorded a surge in the number of people visiting the country in the previous year.
In the winter season of 2023 alone, Bulgaria registered some of the top figures in the region, which was mainly due to its famous winter destinations.
Minister Dinkova went on to reveal that the number of travelers arriving in the country in the month of December of the previous year was higher than the number recorded before the pandemic.
Consequently, this figure represented an overall increase of 4.9% in the number of tourists as compared to the 2019 numbers.
Where the origins of the travelers are concerned, the Minister revealed that Bulgaria had numerous visitors from various third and EU countries.
But in a surprising turn of events, the highest number of visitors came from Italy. The country’s visitors took a 48% share of the overall number.
Meanwhile, third country visitors registered a total increase of 22%, with a large chunk of this number coming from Turkey in the month of December of 2023.
Popularity
The rising popularity of the country in 2024 has been noted by the European Associations of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ECTAA).
The organization took to naming Bulgaria the most Preferred Destination of 2024 and wants to market it as a desirable country to visit.
For this reason, the ECTAA will be joining hands with the Ministry of Tourism in Bulgaria and bring in a higher number of visitors to the country.
