Bulgaria plans to treble revenues

The Bulgarian government hopes to more than treble revenues from tourism by 2013 by improving service quality and aiming for a more up-market image, according to a strategy paper.

Tourism revenues are to rise to €7.9 billion in 2013 from €2.5 billion last year said the paper.

The increase would be achieved by shaking off Bulgaria's image as a cheap tourist destination and aiming for higher-quality services all year round, such as cultural, rural, spa, golf and hunting holidays in addition to the traditional summer and winter resorts, the paper said.

Improving the country's outdated road infrastructure with EU road and regional development aid would play a key role in achieving that goal, the government said.

Bulgaria's tourism revenues rose by 11 per cent in last year and accounted for around seven per cent of the country's gross domestic product, according to recent data of the state tourism agency.

But the national statistical institute reported a 10.6-percent decline in foreign visitors to Bulgaria in February compared with the same month last year.

The number of British and Russian tourists to Bulgaria's winter resorts, for example, slumped by 18.6 and 18.7 per cent respectively.

And tour operators are concerned that the number of holiday-makers to the Black Sea resorts this summer could be down by as much as 30 per cent.

Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev has called for Bulgarians to holiday at home instead of travelling abroad to help compensate for the anticipated drop in foreign visitors.