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Foreign tourists spend 348 EUR on alternative tourism holidays in Bulgaria
Anita Valentinova, source: bgrazhodka.com, 13.10.2010
Cultural and historic tourism, which is often regarded as a form of an alternative tourism, generates a substantial revenue for Bulgarian state, because it is widely popular among foreign tourists. This has become clear after a recent research which was conducted by Bulgarian Ministry of Economy. Tourists from 10 countries-Germany, UK, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Sweden, Serbia, Turkey and Czech Republic took part in the research. All inquires were filled out by 9 million holidaymakers who visited the country within the period April-June 2010.
According to the results of the recent research, foreign tourists usually spend 80 EUR per day during their cultural holiday in Bulgaria. As a comparison, they spend around 66 EUR per day for their SPA and eco tourism vacations, and 62 EUR per day for their stay at rural tourism destinations in Bulgaria. Therefore, the average expenses on a cultural holiday in Bulgaria amount to 458 EUR. Foreign tourists usually stay in the country for one week. According to the figures, foreigners who visit Bulgaria to explore alternative tourism opportunities also benefit from other attractive kinds of tourism. For instance, they line to combine cultural tourism opportunities with mountainous, wine and culinary tourism. SPA tourism is also easily combined with seaside and culinary tourism. Many foreign tourists are fond of visiting Bulgaria due to the great number of eco and rural tourism destinations that also offer various opportunities for sightseeing and wine degustation.
Tourists from Scandinavian countries form the largest group of holidaymakers who like a memorable combination of various tourism experiences. They are followed by Russians-79% and British-75%. Although tourism as an industry has changed its appearance and thus sales channels which are Internet-orientated, many foreigners book their alternative tourism holiday by selecting a reliable local tour operator. All in all, foreign tourists are satisfied with their vacation in Bulgaria, but they also outline some shortcomings that need to be eliminated. Some of them are the bar infrastructure and congestion, as well as the lack of adequate information, regarding all holiday opportunities.
Unfortunately, some kinds of tourism, especially the rural one, are extremely difficult for foreigners primarily due to the language barriers. Furthermore, many guests from other countries often associate Bulgaria as a cheap destination and they only juxtapose the country with Turkey.
Foreign holidaymakers are usually particularly impressed by the landmarks and beautiful nature which are some of the factors, taken into consideration upon choosing a holiday destination.
Further to the latest recommendations of UN World Tourism Organization, Bulgaria should improve all forms of alternative tourism. This is the reason why in the beginning of the year Bulgarian government has adopted a strategy for the development of cultural tourism.
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