News

1 650 000 people are expected to visit Bulgaria from December 22nd, 2019 until March 22nd , 2020. Most of them come mainly for skiing in Bansko.
There are also 1 950 000 Bulgarians who will make around 160 000 trips per week in the country. This forecast is made by Rumen Draganov from the Institute for Analysis and Evaluation in Tourism.
"Overall, we expect a slight increase of about 2%, mainly in urban and cultural weekend tourism. This summer this type of tourism is well ahead compared to the sea tourism," Draganov said.

Traditionally the expectations of the Ministry of Tourism are far more optimistic. "The entries indicate that around 60% of the international guests will come from neighbor countries, more people are expected from some of the leading markets. The passengers from UK arriving by planes at Sofia Airport increased by 17%. The scheduled flights from Germany increased by 7%; from Hungary by 16%,” said Minister Nikolina Angelkova.

Representatives of the tourism industry in Bansko have moderate hopes and they believe that since last winter was one of the weakest in the last five years, there may now be some movement in positive direction. It mainly relies on guests from Greece and Macedonia, because according to analysts now the neighbors are coming out of the financial crisis.

Rumen Draganov claims that unpleasant surprises will come from the south - the skiers from Turkey will be less, because in Bulgaria there are restrictions on the development of new infrastructure, while in Turkey they are building entirely new winter destinations. Officials from Bansko have been warning about this for years.
There will also be fewer Russians, because of the depreciation of the ruble, which has reduced travel abroad. "Those who will come traditionally prefer Bansko for a one-week holiday and they will bring their own equipment; most of them own properties in Bansko, " Draganov commented.

The positive news is that many people from the UK are expected after statistics have recently shown that the Bulgaria’s Best Ski Resort is at the forefront of the most lucrative family vacation destinations in Europe.