During the weekend Bulgaria was presented at the International Tourist Exhibition "Intramarket" in the Russian capital. Tomorrow, the Moscow International Tourist Exhibition, which will also have Bulgarian participation, will be opened. 

Bulgarian Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova is also in Moscow. All this is in the background of the recent decline in Russian tourist flow towards Bulgaria in recent years.

The real drop this season will be about 10 percent, predicted Alexander Shirokov - manager of a Russian tour company that worked for years on the Bulgarian market.

,,The  trend has been steady over the past few years. One reason is the redirection of Russian tourists to domestic resorts, which is a state policy'', explained Shirokov

"Currently, tourism in Russia is concentrated in the domestic market. So it contributes to the state policy and so it is right. The capacity that is available and which is not yet fully utilized has to be filled. This is a necessity. "

,,Sochi becomes a competitor not only in the summer but also in the winter resorts'', says Dimitar Tsonev, director of a major Bulgarian tour operator based in Moscow.

''Another reason for the decrease in interest in Bulgaria is the return of Russian tourists to their favorite market - Turkey. Devaluation of the ruble in recent years is also of great significance'', Alexander Shirokov explained. 

Dimitar Tsonev, pointed out several more reasons to reduce the interest of Russian tourists to our country - the quality of the Bulgarian product does not correspond to the price, but also the competition from the Turkish and Greek markets, from Italy and Spain as well.

According to Dimitar Tsonev, there is still time for the summer season to be saved, but the hoteliers should be more active.

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