Bulgaria promoted the opportunities the country offers for year-round recreation and leisure at the largest Austrian tourism fair Ferien-Messe Wien, which took place from January 14 to January 17, 2016 in Vienna. The Bulgarian information stand featured an area of 32 square meters, with a simple and functional design and a central location on the waterfront in Hall A, in-between two of the main entrances to the exhibition. Apart from the Ministry of Tourism, four travel companies and Varna Municipality were presented there. The stand attracted daily about 20 thousand visitors while the appealing visuals of iconic country landmarks such as the Old town of Plovdiv and the Thracian treasures arouse considerable amount of interest in the cultural heritage of Bulgaria.
Austria is among our generating markets with over 136 thousand Austrian tourists having visited our country from January to November 2015. Bulgaria remains a traditional destination for sea, golf or cultural tourism. Most of the guests at Ferien-Messe Wien 2016 were also interested in opportunities for family summer vacation or camping holidays, while cycling tourism was among the most sought after by young people.
According to the latest data released by leading tour operators in the country the interest of Austrians to our winter tourist packages is growing. In Pamporovo this fact was also noted by the Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova at the start of checks on the condition of ski runs in the winter resorts. “The fact that Bulgaria is focusing the attention of Austrians for winter tourism comes to show that we are competitive enough”, said Minister Angelkova.
In addition to promotional materials for cultural, eco, religious, winter and summer tourism and image advertising for the country, the stand offered Bulgarian wine tasting. Ferien-Messe Wien attracts annually over 150 thousand visitors and brings together more than 750 exhibitors from over 70 countries.