site.btaSun, Sea Tourism Draws 43 Per Cent of Arrivals in Bulgaria

Sun, Sea Tourism Draws 43 Per Cent of Arrivals in Bulgaria

Sofia, November 5 (BTA) - Sun and sea tourism is the main draw for 43 per cent of holiday-makers that visit Bulgaria with spa tourism attracting a further 11 per cent, Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova said on Saturday.

Angelkova presented the Mineral Waters investment programme of the Environment and Waters Ministry.

Spa tourism is the fifth biggest draw, generating tourist visits that are neither too few nor too many but constantly on the rise. Bulgaria ranks second in Europe in terms of the number of mineral springs - 1,600, that is why measures are being taken to utilise more fully these natural resources.

The programme was published on the website of the National Trust EcoFund on November 1, which marked the start of its implementation, Environment and Waters Minister Ivelina Vassileva, who also attended the presentation, said. The pilot scheme has been assigned a budget of 3.5 million leva. The amount of the grant funding under the pilot scheme equals 50 per cent of the project costs with money being provided to cover interest expenses on borrowed funds.

An analysis prepared by the trust fund found that the bulk of the municipal water grids are outdated and need to be overhauled, replaced and expanded. Assisting the municipalities with such projects would improve the rate of the utilisation of mineral water resources which is below 25 per cent at the moment, Vassileva said.