Bulgaria plans campaign to lure Chinese tourists in 2013
Bulgaria wants to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country, Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Delyan Dobrev said on November 19 2012 during a visit to China.
He said that 70 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad but Bulgaria’s share of this market, the world’s third-largest, added up to a mere 5000 to 6000. According to a media statement by Dobrev’s ministry, in January to August 2012, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bulgaria was 31 per cent higher than in January to August 2011. The statement did not give the figures represented by this difference.
The ministry said that it had hosted a tourist information visit to Bulgaria in November 2012 and planned next year to host a similar visit for Chinese tour operators.
Separately, the significance of China’s tourists was underlined in a recent report – as well as the steps that some destinations were taking to meet market demand.
Euromonitor’s report, World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2012, said that the European Travel Commission estimated that Chinese visitors to Europe reserve a third of their holiday budget for shopping.
In notes on trends involving tourists from the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) the report said that Paris is the key shopping destination for all BRICs, but London, Frankfurt, Milan and Madrid are all competing for BRICS shoppers.
Shopping villages and large department stores in these cities have recruited staff speaking BRIC languages and offer easy payment options including domestic credit cards from these countries. Other developments include department store mobile apps in Russian and Mandarin, the report said.
(Photo: Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism)
