site.btaBulgaria Was Partner Country at International Tourism Exhibition in Ekaterinburg

Bulgaria Was Partner Country at International Tourism Exhibition in Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg, Russia, April 9 (BTA) - Bulgaria was a partner country at the largest travel market in Russia's Ural Federal District, the Summer 2016 International Tourism Exhibition, which took place in Ekaterinburg on April 7 and 8, 2016, the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism said in a press release.

Business executives and visitors flocked to the Bulgarian information stand, which occupied 24 sq m in the central part of the Ekaterinburg Expo International Exhibition Centre. Taking part were two tour operators and Velingrad Municipality, which presented Bulgaria as a destination for specialized hydrotherapy, spa and wellness services added to the basic tourist packages.

Tour operators and customers were mainly interested in summer and seaside health and cultural tourism. Local tour operators, who work actively with the Bulgarian market, said that demand for holidays in Bulgaria has increased by 30-35 per cent, which finds expression in a rise in bookings. Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD confirmed that charter flights from Ekaterinburg to Varna and Bourgas (on the Black Sea) have increased by some 30 per cent compared to last year, which is another indicator of the growing number of holidaymakers. Exhibitors credit the heightened demand to the active contacts between Bulgaria's Tourism Ministry and Russia's Federal Agency for Tourism and the Urals Tourism Association. The Bulgarian Consulate General in Ekaterinburg, which was formally reopened on April 7, 2016 but technically started providing services back in February, is substantially contributing to the increased number of Russian tourists coming to Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian exhibit in Ekaterinburg was organized with the official support of the Federal Agency for Tourism, the Russian Union of Travel Industry and leading institutions in the Ural Federal District.