Tourism

Greece's Infrastructure and Transport along with the Tourism Ministry announced they are temporarily re-establishing the Committee for Aviation Tourism in a bid to encourage tourism by small aircraft.

BELGRADE - Serbia registered 9.2 pct more tourist visits in February 2024 relative to the same month of last year and the number of overnight stays was up by 1.7 pct y-o-y, according to figures released by the national statistical office.

Overnight stays generated by Serbian tourists were up by 2.1 pct y-o-y, while those generated by foreign tourists were up by 1.2 pct y-o-y.

Travelers and vacationers' spending is expected to be around 100 billion Turkish Liras during the upcoming nine-day Eid holiday, according to Firuz Bağlıkaya, the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

Short-term rental accommodation in Greece is showing diametrically opposite trends at the moment, depending on the location. Based on the latest data, the superiority of Athens compared to the rest of the country is quite evident, as in the capital there is a clear upward trend, while in the rest of the country it is the opposite.

Despite promising signs for other parts of the country as regards the number of flights and seat bookings for the 2024 tourism season, Mykonos is seeing a decline in both indices for the second year in a row.

January posted a great increase in the number of tourists, but also in the money they spent during their stay in Greece, in what is usually a quiet month for tourism.

According to Bank of Greece data, the annual increase in receipts was 27% and visitors 16% - much higher than the already strong trend of 2023 but also the positive forecasts for 2024 (+10% in arrivals).

The figures so far show that this season will be exceptionally good for Greek tourism. However, this does not seem to be the case for Mykonos, which for the second consecutive year is showing that it will have fewer visitors.

Data show a fresh reduction, not only in bookings, but also in available airline seats.

Bulgaria's winter tourism season has surpassed expectations, with a remarkable 25% increase in foreign visitors compared to initial projections. According to Prof. Rumen Draganov, director of the Institute for Analyzes and Evaluations in Tourism, the country welcomed over 2.1 million tourists from abroad during the winter season, significantly exceeding the anticipated 1.7 million visits.

As the arrival of warmer weather beckons, hotels lining the Bulgarian Black Sea coasts are gearing up to welcome the first wave of sea tourists, with an expected surge in visitors around the Easter holidays, coinciding this year with St. George's Day on May 6.

Hoteliers along Bulgaria's Southern Black Sea coast are anticipating a notable increase in tourist numbers, with early bookings already showing promising growth. Both domestic travelers and visitors from key international markets such as Germany, England, Austria, and Poland are contributing to this surge in reservations.