• Tourism

Tourism is the fastest growing sector in the Bulgarian economy with excellent opportunities for foreign investment with high return on investment ratios. In 2000 privatization of almost 85 % of the assets in the tourist sector was completed. The number of foreign tourists grew, according to preliminary assessments, with more than 25%. Exceptional interest is expected in relatively new but promising fields like historical and culture tourism etc. The legislation provides good opportunities for investment in Greenfield projects, JVs etc. on the Black Sea coast and on mineral water resort sites. Tourism is one of the key sectors in Bulgaria due to the excellent geographical location, remarkably rich nature, diverse relief and moderate continental climate.

In the last years Bulgarian tourism has been advancing progressively. According to statistical data, the number of foreign tourists (excluding children up to 16 years old) that visited Bulgaria in 2001 is over 2.7 million which is a 17.6% increase in comparison to 2000. The number of foreign tourists who came to Bulgaria for the first nine months of 2002 only is 2.4 million. Tourism (international and domestic) has traditionally been our no. 1 export sector, accounting for about 13% of GDP in 2001.