Varna’s tourist branch expects a good tourist season along the Black Sea’s northern coastline for another year. The first organized visitors in the area of the Black Sea city of Varna will arrive in the beginning of May. Large groups of tourists, mostly Romanians, will visit Varna for Easter holidays, celebrated this year on April 20 and coinciding with the Catholic fest.

The Branch employees say the forecasts on Summer 2014 give them a hope. These expectations are based on the successful presentation of Bulgaria and Varna in particular at different world tourist exhibitions. Traditionally, tens of thousands of German tourists will spend their holiday along the northern segment of the sea, one can tell that by the early bookings. We can say the same for holiday-makers from Great Britain, the Scandinavian countries, Poland etc. However, the Russian and Ukrainian market faces some concerns. Local hotel owners and tour operators hope that the Crimean crisis won’t affect it in a negative manner. In 2013 Bulgaria marked a 13 percent growth of Ukrainian tourists and now local entrepreneurs are concerned not to lose these precious customers. They hope that an eventual reflux of Russians and Ukrainians will be somehow compensated for by tourists from neighboring Balkan states and more precisely from Romania.

Many foreigners are expected for the Tall Ships Regatta 2014 in Varna. The town will host the prestigious event in the period April 30 – May 3, 2014. Local administration relies on the tourist influx from the Middle East, though a bit postponed in time. It turned out these days that Varna had voiced its participation in the World Tourism Cities Federation in China with the intention to welcome Chinese tourists, who mark the biggest growth globally. Right now the municipal administration of the town works actively for prolonging the tourist season outside July and August. EUR 180,000 have been allocated from the municipal budget for that purpose, as the money will be used for an advertisement campaign abroad. The idea is to be accentuated not only on stationery vacations at the seaside, but also on opportunities for congress, spa and medical tourism in the area.

Tours around the closest cultural and historical landmarks will be organized along the northern coastline this year too. Aladja Monastery from the 12 – 13c. AD and Varna’s Archaeological Museum are the most visited ones.

Veneta Nikolova, Zhivko Stanchev for Radio Bulgaria

Varna’s Archaeological Museum  is one of the most visited historical landmarks