Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister expects 8.8M foreign tourists in May – October
Bulgaria is expecting 8.8 million foreign tourists in May to October this year, double the number in 2020, outgoing Tourism Minister Mariana Nikolova said in an interview with Nova Televizia on April 28.
Nikolova said that about 200 000 Bulgarians would travel during the upcoming Orthodox Easter holidays, and that this number would increase to 500 000 by May 10 and to a million by the end of May.
“It is most important for us to assure foreign tourists that we are a safe and healthy destination. It is no coincidence that we are among the first to announce rules for entering the country,” she said.
The Digital Green Certificate would restart travel and people would be able to visit destinations freely, Nikolova said.
She said that after the introduction of the Digital Green Certificate, there would be reciprocity, because there is no way to impose quarantine when the rules apply equally to all.
A large-scale advertising campaign to encourage foreigners to holiday in Bulgaria this summer had been launched, she said.
There was “serious demand” from Romanian tourists, while Russians were interested in visiting the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and in pilgrimage tourism, meaning visits to Orthodox Christian sites.
Nikolova said that it would be possible for those who had been vaccinated against Covid-19 to pass through Bulgaria’s land borders with faster access and priority, and the possibility of opening additional checkpoints was being discussed.
(Photo: Lance Nelson of order.bg)
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