Tourism in Bulgaria

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The historical building of DZI HQ in Sofia, Bulgaria

Sunny Beach

Sveti Vlas on the Black Sea coast with its marina

Bulgaria is a country with a historical and cultural heritage, and attractive natural landscapes, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Southeast Europe. Tourism, as an industry, has been an important source of economic growth. In 2008 Bulgaria was visited by 8.9 million tourists^[1], measured as outlined by the World Tourism Organization. Tourists from three countries - Greece, Romania and Germany - account for 40% of visitors.^[2] The country has historical cities and towns, summer beaches, and mountain ski resorts. New types of tourism, including cultural, architectural and historic tours, eco-tourism, and adventure tours, are expanding the range of visitor experiences.

[edit] Tourist attractions

[edit] Hiking and skiing

Winter tourist centres, such as Borovetz, Bansko, Pamporovo and Vitosha are picturesque and popular ski resorts.

[edit] Sea resorts

The Bulgarian summer resorts along the Black Sea coast, include destinations, such as the summer resorts: Sozopol, Nessebur, Golden Sands, Sunny Beach, Sveti Vlas, Albena and Saints Constantine and Helena. Some guests, such as the Germans, Russians or Scandinavians favour the summer beach resorts, while winter tourism, and the ski resorts, are the favorites of the British.

[edit] Night life

Bulgaria is popular with its night and disco clubs attracting tourist in the sea resorts and also in the capital Sofia (to which Vitosha mountain is near).

[edit] Ethno, cultural and historical tourism

Tourist activities, such as "ethno-tourism" and "architectural-cultural" tourism, are gaining ground, catering to specialized tastes. These are new types of tours, which involve interaction with and living amongst the local people, in mountain villages.

For the more adventurous, active recreation, involving mountain hiking and bike tourism, provides a close connection with nature. Climbers scale the granite mountains of Rila, Pirin and the Balkan. Hikers enjoy the mountains of Vitosha and the Rhodopes. Mountain biking, and bicycle racing are also recreations, and Bulgaria is one of only six countries to annually host the official 1,200 km Randonnees - ultra-marathon bicycle rides patterned after Paris–Brest–Paris.

Situated at the crossroads of the East and West, Bulgaria has been home to many civilizations - Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Proto-Bulgarians, and Ottomans. Bulgaria is rich in historical artifacts, but museus to keep them is up to be built (central historical and art museum is now being developed in Sofia^[3]), many of the museums and monasteries still need to be properly advertised and maintained, and some of the most interesting heritage sites may not be easily accessible, due to poor infrastructure. Yet, some visitors regard such "underdevelopment" as desirable - those who prefer to experience history first-hand rather than look at artefacts behind glass.

[edit] Foreign arrivals by country 2009

Number	Country	Number of visitors
1	Romania	996 716
2	Greece	843 547
3	Germany	580 381
4	United Kingdom	363 671
5	Russia	291 183
6	Macedonia	216 604
7	Turkey	210 079
8	Serbia	188 988
9	Poland	156 939
10	Czech Republic	155 014
11	Slovakia	133 338
12	France	121 996
13	Ukraine	118 566
14	Denmark	115 038
15	Sweden	109 094
16	Israel	105 402
17	Italy	100 996
18	Norway	85 468
19	Austria	79 148
20	Finland	76 437
21	Hungary	76 284
22	Netherlands	75 817
23	United States	69 887
24	Ireland	66 841
25	Belgium	51 235
26	Spain	39 888
27	Moldova	25 405
28	Belarus	25 374
29	Switzerland	256 210
30	Cyprus	23 232
31	Slovenia	17 880
32	Croatia	17 196
33	Australia	13 537
34	Canada	13 587
35	Philippines	11 645
36	Portugal	11 263
37	Estonia	10 922
38	Lithuania	10 767
39	Malta	10 720
40	Japan	9 601
41	Iran	9 063
42	Latvia	8 531
43	South Korea	7 967
44	Syria	7 504
45	Iceland	6 609
46	Albania	6 199
47	China	6 092
48	Luxembourg	5 133
49	Georgia	4 983
50	Kazakhstan	4 518