Veliko Tarnovo, North Central Bulgaria, Oct 7 (BTA/GNA) – More than 7 million tourists visited Bulgaria between January and September, Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva said at the opening of the 21st Cultural Tourism International Fair in Veliko Tarnovo. From May to September, 5.7 million tourists visited the country, including more than 3.5 million foreign visitors.
Bulgaria has the potential to become a year-round tourist destination, with efforts focused not only on increasing visitor numbers but also on improving the quality of the tourism product, Modeva said.
Interest in cultural and historical tourism is also growing, with visitor numbers up by about 1% in 21 Bulgarian municipalities.
At European level, about 14% of tourists say they travel for cultural and historical tourism, while a similar share are interested in city tours. About 4% are interested in wine and culinary tourism, bringing the combined share of these forms of tourism to about 32%, Modeva said.
Bulgaria currently has no separate statistics for cultural tourism, which is measured through visits to cultural and historical sites, municipalities with concentrations of cultural heritage and museums. Museum visits have already exceeded 7.9 million. Bulgaria ranks third in Europe after Italy and Greece in the number of immovable cultural heritage sites, with about 40,000.
The aim is to improve the quality of Bulgaria’s tourism product and change the country’s image as a cheap seasonal destination. Better connectivity and accessibility, new tourism products and more effective marketing in target markets are key to developing the sector, Modeva said.
The 21st Cultural Tourism International Fair is on until October 9. The event is organized by Veliko Tarnovo Municipality together with the Tourism Ministry and with the support of the Ministry of Culture as part of the Annual Programme for National Tourism Advertising.
Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva at the opening of the 21st Cultural Tourism International Fair in Veliko Tarnovo, North Central Bulgaria, October 7, 2026 (BTA Photo/Marina Petrova)
GNA/BTA