Gallup: Nearly 600,000 Bulgarians are planning a winter vacation

Nearly 600,000 Bulgarian adults intend to use some kind of tourist service in the winter season. This shows a telephone survey conducted by Gallup International among 1,000 adult Bulgarians before the start of the winter tourist season. A panel methodology was used for maximum representativeness of the data. The survey is part of the regular program, together with the National Board of Tourism, which periodically examines plans and attitudes related to tourism.

23% plan to rest, but rather as guests of relatives and acquaintances, or in their own villas, houses or the like. These are about 1.3 million adult Bulgarians. 59.5% do not plan anything in terms of winter vacation because of the coronavirus, and the rest are hesitant in their answers.

The overall direction of development of winter tourism in our country remains traditionally good, according to Bulgarians. The potential for winter tourism is highly valued, along with all the efforts of the administration in this regard.

Those planning to use tourist services abroad at this stage are in the tens of thousands.

SPA, wine, cultural-historical, etc. tourism in Bulgaria, outside of Christmas and New Year, are planned by a total of about 500 thousand adult Bulgarians, and about 200 thousand of them believe that at this stage they are sure that they will use such a tourist service.

Such tourism abroad at this stage is the plan of about 80 thousand people, although only a quarter of them are quite safe.

As can be calculated from the numbers, those who plan tourism often plan more than one trip. And those who have plans to travel in our country are the people who are more likely to travel as tourists abroad.

In general, the number of declaring plans for at least one tourist trip during the winter season in Bulgaria (a total of about 600 thousand people now), compared to the same period last year, has decreased about four times, and abroad (a total of about 160 thousand people now) - about seven times.

The average planned amount for a winter vacation is now BGN 1,252, and a year ago it was BGN 985. Probably the increase in the amount is now due to the fact that the most solvent Bulgarians have expectations to really travel as tourists.

Generally speaking, the average planned duration of the vacation that tourism planners imagine or have kept is about 6 days.

In general, the efforts of the line ministry and Minister Mariana Nikolova are assessed rather positively. The general assessment of the direction of development of Bulgarian winter tourism remains good in the eyes of Bulgarians : 48.8% say that it is improving, against 21.7% who believe that it is not improving. The rest find it difficult to answer and their share is growing compared to last year.
All respondents were traditionally asked how they would rate the conditions for accommodation, infrastructure and specialized facilities that our country offers for winter tourism - from summarized personal experience. The evaluations are extremely good this year as well. Rather good, say 45.9% and definitely good - 23.9%. Rather, they are not good for 9%, and definitely not good - 4.4%. The others cannot judge. There is no significant difference in the structure of responses compared to last year. Perhaps the share of those who find it difficult to answer is growing to some extent.

Credit: https://bgtourism.bg/19112020-zimna-pochivka/