The number of Bulgarians travelling abroad decreased again in August 2010, registering yet another month of decline, while simultaneously, the country was visited by an increasing number of foreign tourists, Bulgarian media said on September 27 2010.
The trend has remained consistent throughout the summer months of 2010, as fewer Bulgarians travelled abroad in June and July but more foreigners visited in comparison to the corresponding period last year.
A total of about 380 000 Bulgarians went abroad in August, 30.6 per cent less than in August 2009, while 1.6 million foreigners visited the country, an 11.3 per cent increase.
The only two destinations which marked an increase in Bulgarian interest in August were Turkey and Cyprus, with 5.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent increases in tourists, respectively, while on the opposite end, Greece marked the sharpest plunge with 59.4 per cent fewer Bulgarian tourists travelling south of the border.
The long series of Greek strikes and regular disruptions of traffic and transportation south of the border were seen as among the main reasons why Bulgarians opted to snub Greece for an alternative destination. However, Greece remains Bulgaria’s most popular tourist destination in 2010, although this year the overall decline accounts for about 40 per cent, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said
On the positive side, about 244 000 German tourists came to the country in August, an increase of one per cent. The Germans also maintained their status as the largest number of foreign tourists in the local market, the report said. Russians also accounted for a sharp increase of 29.7 per cent, with about 87 000 Russians arriving in August.
The Romanians were the second largest group after the Germans, with 192 000 tourists in August alone, or a 7.3 per cent rise from the same period time last year.
Scandinavian and British tourists also accounted for an increase of interest, with seven and 2.9 per cent, respectively
Source: sofiaecho
