Nearly 19 thousand Chinese tourists visited Bulgaria in the period January-August this year. The growth is by 50% compared to the same period in 2016. Only in August about 2200 guests from the Asian country came to Bulgaria, marking an increase of 23.4%. This was announced by the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova, who took part in the forum "Bulgaria and Shanxi, China - two worlds on the Silk Road." Bulgaria welcomed travelers on a 15,000-km trail passing through 16 countries.

The initiative is part of the 2017 Silk Road Journey. Bulgaria and China have traditionally good relations, as tourists between the two countries have increased in recent years, said Minister Angelkova. She added that in September 2017 a tourist information center of Bulgaria was opened in the Shanghai Megalopolis which will promote the opportunities and advantages of Bulgarian tourism and will present our country as a destination all year round. There are excellent opportunities for partnership between the two countries, the Minister of Tourism added. In front of the guests, Minister Angelkova also presented data on the achievements in the sector.

For the first eight months of 2017, the total number of visits of foreign tourists in Bulgaria was  over 6.5 million, and the growth compared to January-August 2016 is close to 8%. The revenues from international tourism are increasing at a more serious pace, according to the official information of the BNB. According to them, in the period from January to July 2017 total revenues amounted to about BGN 3.8 billion, an increase of nearly 11% compared to the same months of previous year.