Alternative Tourism in Bulgaria - Still Learning How to Walk

News.bg, Blaga Bangieva

Round 340,000 Bulgarians and 220,000 foreigners choose rural tourism in Bulgaria in 2007.
This was announced by Rumen Draganov, member from the leadership of Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT) by the occasion of the association's 10th birthday.

The turnover from rural and alternative tourism in Bulgaria in 2007 goes to 130 million BGN (65 million EUR) from a total turnover in tourism of 2,5 billion BGN (1,2 billion EUR).

According to the definition for alternative tourism it includes: rural, mountain, adventure, culture, exotic, religious, wine and ethnographic.

Ten years after the establishing of BAAT, it is believed that the alternative tourism is still learning how to walk due to the serious disunion of the different types of activities and due to different tourism training of people in the sphere.

Possibilities for enlargement of ecology and eco-tourism are hidden in the developing in out of the way rural regions unique in architecture and traditions.

The set up and maintaining of eco-hotels, plus serving dishes, cooked with ecology grown products is another way among the most modern and expensive natural experiences.