The fire that broke out at Rila hotel in downtown Sofia at the end of May raised a lot of questions about the quality of services and construction of the hotel establishments in the capital. Photo by BGNES
The number of foreigners, who visited Bulgaria's capital Sofia during the first half of the year, totaled 112 217, marking a 61,7% decrease over the same period in 2008.
Sofia remains a preferred destination for business and pleasure trips for guests from Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Italy and France, according to data from the municipality-owned Tourism services company.
The economic crisis has certainly impacted negatively the tourism sector in the capital, the municipality commented the data in a press release, circulated to the media.
It points out that Sofia has available numerous three and four-star hotels, which offer good services and reasonable prices.
Recent checks have found out that some hotels hire unqualified staff and obtain forged certification for the quality of services they offer.