Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7daf2f/bulgaria_tourism_r) has announced the addition of the "Bulgaria Tourism Report 2012" report to their offering.
Over the first eight months of 2011, Bulgaria welcomed 6,378,465 visitors, according to figures released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI). This was an increase of just over 4% year-on-year (y-o-y) from the 6,128,790 tourists that visited Bulgaria during the same period of 2010. This headline figure includes 1,685,518 transit passengers over January-August.
For 2011 as whole, BMI believes that a final outcome of 8.7mn visitor arrivals is likely given the positive start to the year. The growth in tourism numbers is an encouraging sign for Bulgaria, which launched major marketing campaigns in 2010 aimed at attracting greater tourist numbers to the country. BMI is optimistic about the long-term outlook for the Bulgarian tourism sector. BMI was pleasantly surprised by the strong growth in visitor arrival numbers over 2010 and believes this upwards growth trend can continue over the whole of our newly extended forecast period to 2016.
Alma Tour Collapse Is A Concern
In a blow for the Bulgarian travel industry, tour operator Alma Tour suspended operations in September 2011, leaving several hundred tourists (mostly from Russia) stranded at Burgas and Varna airports for days. The company's problems began when Bulgaria Air refused to operate flights for Alma Tour due to non-payment of about EUR3.6mn in debts to the airline. Other creditors are also seeking repayment of loans and other obligations. In early October, Alma Tour filed for bankruptcy at the Sofia city court. Some local hoteliers considered offering free 2012 summer holidays to foreign tourists caught up in the collapse of Alma Tour, as the industry seeks to move on from the difficulties caused by the package operator's collapse.
Companies Mentioned:
- Albena
- Bulgaria Air
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7daf2f/bulgaria_tourism_r
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