Tourism

Over 15 000 Russian tourists have been stranded in Greece due to the bankruptcy of Russian tour operator Labirint.

Labirint, a major player on the market, declared bankruptcy on Saturday.

The Greek government is in talks with Russian authorities to find a way out of the predicament, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio, based on local media.

A joint statement by the ministries of Education and Tourism regarding training for tourism professionals is a hope-filled promise that efforts are being made to improve the quality of that key sector of the Greek economy. At the same time, it seems rather ambitious insofar as the part pertaining to the founding of foreign-language schools for attracting students from abroad is concerned.

After years of financial troubles, the city of Athens is finally buzzing with tourists. Despite some encouraging figures however, the Greek capital has not quite managed to become a destination in itself, in the style of many of its European peers.

Turkey’s tourism income has soared by 6.3 percent in the first half of the year largely due to Turks living abroad, who almost doubled foreign tourists visiting the country in terms of spending, official data has shown.

About 95,000 tourists were officially registered in Romanian seaside resorts during the last weekend in July, which was a record for this year’s holiday season so far.

But the numbers of visitors are lower compared to the same weekend in 2013, when around 165,000 tourists were registered.

Croatia’s hugely important tourist industry, an important motor in the country’s economy, may fail to deliver the expected results this summer, tourist officials fear.

Although official figures for July have yet to emerge, hotels, apartment owners and camps are unofficially reporting a disappointingly large number of unoccupied beds.

Region enjoying profits and growth from tourism

By Stathis Kousounis

Greece is anticipating travel receipts as high as 6 billion euros over the next two months thanks to the increased tourism activity observed this summer. This means that in August and September the country expects to collect just under 50 percent of the total sum of tourism revenues expected for the entire year.

BELGRADE – Serbia’s foreign-currency revenue from tourism in 2014 could exceed last year's, which stood at USD 1.05 billion, Secretary of State at the Serbian Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Lukrecija Djeri said Monday.

Bulgaria and Spain's Costa del Sol are the best holiday destinations for British tourists, the study of British website Post Office Travel Money shows.

According to the survey, British families can get more food, drinks and beach accessories for less money on the beaches of Spain and Bulgaria compared to the rest of the European resorts.