European and global tourism grew by 3.7%. Bulgaria performs well in this segment. The new winter season is expected to repeat last year's occupancy. There will even be a small increase, Rumen Draganov, Director at the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism, told Bulgaria ON AIR.

Bulgaria expects a strong winter season. More than 1.7 million foreign tourists are expected to visit the country. Around 3 million Bulgarians will make trips in the country for the winter holidays. Foreign tourists come for skiing, mostly on a seven-day tour package. Bulgarians most often make two-night weekend trips. Most winter tourists are expected from Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia and Romania. 56% of all guests will come from EU member states. "Bulgarians mostly visit neighbouring countries. 1.2 Bulgarians visit Greece annually and the same number of Greeks visit Bulgaria", Rumen Draganov said.