Registration Opens for 43rd Sofia Marathon, Organizers Anticipate Record Turnout
More than 10,000 runners from Bulgaria and abroad are expected to take part in the 43rd edition of the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon, scheduled for October 10 and 11, 2026
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Wizz Air on July 21 celebrates the major milestone of opening its 28 base in Varna, Bulgaria, according to The Financial.
The airline has based one of its new Airbus A320 aircraft at Varna Airport, starting six additional low-fare routes from its second Bulgarian base to Dortmund and Munich Memmingen in Germany, Eindhoven in The Netherlands, Larnaca in Cyprus, Milan Bergamo in Italy and Tel Aviv in Israel. With the long-time popular London Luton and recently launched domestic Sofia services, Wizz Air now connects Varna with eight destinations in seven countries with fares starting from as low as BGN 29.99.
The base establishment represents an investment of $99 million by WIZZ in Varna, creating 36 direct jobs with the airline. The base operations and the expanded network will contribute to the local economy, supporting jobs in aviation, transportation, hospitality and tourism industries. In 2017, Wizz Air has 333,000 seats on sale on its Varna routes, which represents a 218% growth year over year, according to Wizz Air.
Wizz Air’s first Bulgarian flight took off from Sofia in September 2005. Since then, the airline has become the market leader in the country and carried over 9.5 million passengers from and to its three Bulgarian airports: Sofia, Varna and Bourgas, while constantly expanding its low-fare route network.
The ongoing war in the Middle East is beginning to cast a shadow over Bulgaria’s tourism sector, with early signs already visible in reservations for the upcoming summer season.
Bulgaria’s tourism sector is facing a significant setback after the cancellation of trips by Israeli visitors due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East
The ongoing escalation in the Middle East has prompted a significant wave of cancellations among Israeli tourists planning to visit Bulgarian ski resorts, particularly in Bansko
The Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agents “Future for Tourism” (OBT) has urged the authorities to ensure equal treatment of Bulgarian citizens awaiting evacuation from Dubai
In Bansko, the winter tourism season is facing a severe crisis as the war in the Middle East triggers widespread cancellations. Reservations from Israel and other affected countries have been entirely scrapped, leaving hotels nearly empty
At the close of 2025, Bulgarian citizens showed a slight increase in travel activity, with approximately 1.1 million individuals aged 15 and above undertaking tourism trips in the fourth quarter,
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