site.btaAdditional Staff to Strengthen Visa-issue Work of Bulgarian Consular Services in Russia, Ukraine

Additional Staff to Strengthen Visa-issue Work of Bulgarian Consular Services in Russia, Ukraine

Sofia, May 9 (BTA) - Additional staff will be seconded and local
people will be hired in the Bulgarian consular services in
Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev and Odessa in order to respond to
the expected increase of last minute bookings of summer
holidays in Bulgaria, the Tourism Ministry said on Saturday.

Additional staff will also be provided in the consular offices
in Chisinau, Minsk, Tehran, Beirut, Astana, Tbilisi, Istanbul
and Bursa.

To provide for the work of these people, the Tourism Ministry
transferred 331,000 leva from its budget to the Foreign
Ministry. The strengthened staff will ensure fast and
problem-free services to tourist on package tours, as well as
individual holiday makers, and also help encourage more
bookings.

The consular offices where more staff will be sent are in
countries that are traditional markets of the Bulgarian tourist
products or have a potential for development, the Tourism
Ministry said.

According to data of the National Statistical Institute, in
June, July and August 2014 Bulgaria was visited by about 400,000
Russian nationals and more than 180,000 Ukrainians. Belarus
ranked ninth in terms of number of holiday makers in Bulgaria
with more than 120,000 visitors. Turkey ranked on the eighth
place with 130,000 tourists which was an increase of 16 per
cent. The number of holiday makers from Kazakhstan, Lebanon and
Iran increased too.

Data of the Bulgarian tourist representations in Moscow show
that Russian tour operators report preservation of the positive
attitude of the local customers to trips in Bulgaria. There is
also a strong interest towards offers for organized children's
holidays and family holidays in Bulgaria.