The coronavirus pandemic caused a dramatic outflow of foreign tourists in Bulgaria. However, this is not the case with regard to domestic tourism. Bulgarians continue travelling, despite the restrictions introduced in this country to contain the spread of coronavirus infection, indicate data of the Single Tourism Information System (STIS) at the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism.

At the height of the winter tourist season, the town of Velingrad turns out to be the most attractive destination for winter holiday in Bulgaria. In December 2020, the small Rhodope town, declared the Spa capital on the Balkans, welcomed some 12,000 Bulgarian tourists, thus outperforming popular ski centers such as Pamporovo and Borovets. Tourists prefer Velingrad, because of the wonderful local spa hotels and the opportunities for walks to natural landmarks and ancient Rhodope settlements. Currently, Spa hotels, small family hotels and guest houses, which guarantee a healthy and safe holiday, are the most preferred tourist facilities. The hot mineral springs in Hisarya, which attracted 4,400 tourists in December last year, as well as the village of Banya, Razlog Municipality, are also among the most preferred destinations for winter tourism. Recently, the village of Banya has become a hit among Bulgarians, because of its medicinal water, mineral pools and delicious homemade food.

At the end of 2020, more than 3,400 Bulgarians chose to spend their vacation in the picturesque village located at the foot of the Pirin Mountain. Meanwhile, Bulgarian tourists are unable to make up for the serious tourist outflow from popular holiday destinations such as Devin and Sandanski, which relied predominantly on foreign guests before the coronavirus pandemic.

Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: library