Between 7 and 11% is expected to be the increase of cost for celebrating Christmas and New Year holidays, predicts the Director of the Institute for Analyzes and Evaluation in Tourism Rumen Draganov. According to him, the reason is the price of fuel.
 
The most expensive will be trips, which were cheaper last year, and the higher budgets trips will keep their price. The price increase will be greatest for those who have not used the extras of 1500 levs and up for an apartment, but instead go for accommodation in a double room in a three-star hotel.
 
For the two celebrations, the total number of trips of Bulgarians is expected to be around 540,000, of which about 110,000 will be abroad. Around 130,000 foreigners will celebrate the holidays in Bulgaria.

Christmas is a family holiday and people will celebrate with relatives, while New Year is considered a corporate holiday or is associated with a gathering with friends, Draganov commented. Most of the Christmas trips will involve a visit to relatives and family, while around New Year's Eve and between the two celebrations most will be looking for spa breaks, cultural, urban and historical tourism.

Among other preferences for holiday reception will be resorts that offer skiing and snowboarding, of which the more sought after will be those, where there are spa services. People will also be looking for stone houses, places which offer good food, family hotels and villas. Small is the share of people who will visit mountain huts for New Year's Eve - about 1200 people, Draganov said.

This year, Bulgarians, who will be spending the New Year holidays abroad, will choose the nearby destinations - Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Romania. Germany, Italy and Spain are the most preferred of European countries, because there is the largest Bulgarian diaspora, Draganov commented.
 
In the majority of Bulgarians, there is no attitude of New Year's travel in exotic destinations. Usually, about 3,200 people are the ones who are going to a few different destinations which exotic, the expert commented.

For holiday abroad on New Year's holidays, the average Bulgarian will spend about 485 leva, and in Bulgaria - about 275 leva. The foreigners will spend an average of about 285 euros in our country. For foreigners who will spend the holidays in Bulgaria, there are organized programs, the most attractive being offered to those guests from distant destinations - Japan, China, North and South America.
 
Europeans from Austria, Germany, who repeatedly come to Bulgaria, re-visit us on the one hand because they have their relatives and acquaintances, and on the other - they enjoy Airbnb accommodation, Draganov noted. The foreigners who come for the holidays in our country from more distant destinations mostly stay at four- and five-star hotels. The Greeks go to Bansko, Sandanski, Kyustendil, Smolyan and Ivaylovgrad; Romanians prefer the Northern Black Sea coast - Varna, Serbs, Macedonians and Turks - Sofia and Plovdiv, which are also favorite for the Japanese and Chinese.
 
The program of foreigners' visits to New Year's holidays is usually specified by tour operators and is consistent with the fact that tourists want to see many things for a short time. We have a very high income from a foreigner and their average stay is 2.8 days, Draganov commented. The program for New Year's Eve is tailored to the Bulgarian market and is mainly based on family performers, with different restaurants offering different styles.

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