After years of rapid growth Bulgarian tourism facing grim prospects

Bulgarian hoteliers had become used to good earnings over the years of strong growth, but are facing grim prospects now as the economic crisis has forced worldwide belt-tightening.

Pressed by a dwindling number of visitors and stiff competition from its equally hard-pressed southern neighbour Turkey, Bulgaria finds its Black Sea hotels cutting prices virtually on a daily basis.

The price of a night's stay followed by breakfast in a seaside hotel plummeted to as low as less than 30 dollars just as the height of the season arrived in the second half of July.

While its low-cost accommodation was a spur for Bulgarian tourism's often double-digit growth rates, pickier (and wealthier) customers were also drawn by offers of golfing, archaeological tours and the latest fad, the wellness programme.

Get the full story at: eTurboNews