Bulgaria is the new Benidorm. Well, it is if you believe what you read in The Independent newspaper.
Saturday’s edition of the newspaper reports that 140,000 UK tourists visited Bulgaria between January and August this year – an increase of some 40 per cent – and those figures are expected to grow by a further 20 and 30 per cent in 2004. What is more, Thomson Holidays has placed the former Communist bloc country at the top of its 10 “hot” destinations for next year.
Frances Tuke, of ABTA, is reported as saying: “Bulgaria has always been well-known to people as a good-value-for-money destination. It appeals to those who are feeling a bit more adventurous and don’t necessarily want total luxury. It’s the kind of people who went to Turkey 15 years ago when the industry was still developing.”
The Independent states that tourists in Bulgaria will find “a warn climate, plenty of alternatives to the beach, a thriving black market in CDs and the palate-cleansing local brandy”. A pint of beer reportedly costs about 50p, a meal for two around GBP5, and a bottle of decent Bulgarian red wine about GBP2.
