GOLDEN SANDS, Bulgaria, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian seaside resorts will this year try their best to retain their market positions despite some obstacles and intend to expand their market share in the future, industry insiders have recently told Xinhua.
In an interview in Golden Sands, the second largest resort in Bulgaria, Associate Professor Stoyan Marinov, board member of Varna Chamber of Tourism and director of College of Tourism-Varna, said that this summer season starts difficult for his country.
The reasons, according to him, are the crisis in Ukraine and Ukraine's relations with Russia, as well as the recent flooding in this region of the country.
However, according to him, Bulgaria has so far managed to hold the tourists from these key markets. There are no booking cancellations from Ukraine, while from Russia hotel reservations have grown, and things look sunny in Western countries from where tourists throng onto Bulgarian seasides, he said.
COMPETITIVE PRICE ATTRACTS TOURISTS
Marinov, who is also head of the newly established Black Sea Research Center in the Tourism at Varna Tourist Chamber, said Bulgaria has the greatest competitive advantage as a destination for seaside holidays, taking into account all elements of the integrated tourist product.
"You can see behind me the beautiful beach with golden, fine sand; mountains and woodlands along our coast; extremely diverse and quality food; excellent accommodation conditions," he said.
Over 90 percent of hotels on the beaches are four-star and four-star plus, Marinov added.
"And all these things, in the high season, which for us is July and August, will cost approximately 70 euros (some 96 U.S. dollars), all included," he said.
Moreover, the hotels offer shopping trips to the nearby city of Varna, and also visits to cultural attractions and places, linked to Thracian culture, Marinov said.
"The people are nice, and the food is good, and the sea is nice. We like it. My friends, people I know from Germany who have already visited here, have advised us, and said: 'It's good there.' That is why we have come," a 58-year-old German tourist told Xinhua. He and his wife have been staying for 11 days in Golden Sands.
NEW CLIENTS, MORE TIMEFRAMES
Marinov said that the most of the toursits on bulgaian seasides in the summer are Russians and Germans, followed by visitors from neighboring Romania, and also Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Scandinavian countries and Ukraine.
He said that the industry is intending to diversify clients and go to some other promising markets such as the Arab world, Kazakhstan, and last but not least, China.
He said that Austrian pensioners recently vacationed in Bulgaria told him: "It is different here; it is more colorful; generally, what you offer caresses the senses, and it's quite different from the countries like Spain, Greece and Turkey."
Hristo Hristov, manager of a four-star hotel in Golden Sands, said his hotel is now relying heavily on customers from Western European countries, especially Germany.
And he said he wants to retain those guests and create more loyal customers, but in the meantime it would try to take in customers from any market, especially fast-growing China.
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