Cruise tourism has become more accessible to tourists lately, Iliyan Ivanov from the Bulgarian Cruise Society told the National Radio. It is not surprising then that Bulgaria’s transport strategy until 2030 envisages tangible growth of this kind of tourist business.

In 2017 cruise tourism is estimated to attract 25 million passengers. In Europe alone their number is set to reach 7 million. Iliyan Ivanov specified that about 10,000 Bulgarians joined cruises as tourists on an annual basis. They mostly sail in Europe, the Mediterranean, to the Baltic States, to Norway’s fjords, the Canary Islands and Madeira

Regarding the prospects of developing Bulgarian ports as stops for foreign cruise ships, Ivanov explained that some of them have already become destinations, and pointed to Burgas, Varna and Nesebar.

“In the past two years in connection with Crimea developments, as well as with the problems in Turkey and Egypt, Bulgaria has been a "victim" of a regional context in which the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean has been suffering. This is something though that we have used to upgrade our infrastructure. Hopefully in the next 2-3 years, when the Mediterranean is expected to improve again, cruise operators will be able to resume their traditional routes creating a boom of cruise passengers. Bulgaria too will be part of this trend”, Iliyan Ivanov said in conclusion.

Source: Horizont Channel, BNR

English Daniela Konstantinova