Spa and Golf Tourism in Bulgaria Have Development Potential

The SofiaEcho weekly

The number of tourist visits to Bulgaria in 2006 is nearly seven per cent higher than the number of visits for 2005, deputy head of the State Agency for Tourism (SAT) Stanislav Novakov said.

Bulgaria had the potential to develop year-round tourism opportunities, Novakov said as quoted by Novinar newspaper.

The country had already established its summer and winter resorts, Novakov told participants of the Bulgaria- Dream Area forum. Among the other types of tourism the country could develop were golf, spa, cultural and eco-tourism said he.

Tourists were becoming increasingly interested in planning and carrying out a vacation on their own, rather than depending on fixed opportunities, said Novakov.

Tourism featured among the priority sectors of Bulgaria’s economy, Novinar reported. It formed nearly 14 per cent of the GDP, tourism sector representatives said.

Revenue from foreign tourist visits in 2006 exceeded two billion euro. Nearly 170 000 people were constantly employed in the tourism sector, Novinar reported.