Ivo Marinov, the director of the municipal tourism enterprise for the capital, stated that the number of foreign visitors to Sofia has increased by 90% and that of Bulgarian visitors by 26% since 2021
Ivo Marinov, the director of the municipal tourism enterprise for the capital, stated that the number of foreign visitors to Sofia has increased by 90% and that of Bulgarian visitors by 26% since 2021

The COVID-19 sanctions’ impact on tourism in Bulgaria and other European nations in 2020 and 2021 was significant. People are arriving in Sofia and other Bulgarian provinces from various areas now that transportation is unrestricted again. Ivo Marinov, the director of the municipal tourism enterprise for the capital, stated that the number of foreign visitors to Sofia has increased by 90% and that of Bulgarian visitors by 26% since 2021.

Ivo Marinov claimed that Sofia is recovering now, noting that the average stay of international visitors is nearly three days and that of Bulgarians is 2.3 days. Germany, Israel, Romania, Italy, and Great Britain receive the most visitors. According to the records, Spanish tourists are seen more in Bulgarian provinces, especially in Sofia.

Additionally, Marinov discussed that, in his view, it could restore interest in tourism in the city. He said, “This is performed to completely restore air connections to the other markets. The second is that since the demands of the visitors have changed, it is necessary to create pathways for such items that are more specialized and do not necessarily require a connection with a tour operator”.

Several specialized products have been created and combined into the programmes of tour operators. For example, the Map of Street Art-Arts allows viewing 20 professionally designed graffiti. The “Know the Birds of Sofia” map allows observation of over 250 species of birds in three of the city’s parks. Bulgarian wine types and wines are shown on the Sofia Wine Map.

Marinov also emphasizes that work is in progress on an Atlas of Bulgarian Congress Tourism, a map of Sofia’s centuries-old trees, a map of craft brews, and a map of the country’s post-1945 architectural legacy. He emphasized how successfully congress and event tourism is progressing. If there are no health precautions or coronavirus-related limitations in place throughout the fall and winter, it is anticipated that the number of travellers will peak before the pandemic.