''In 2018 I hope the Chinese tourists in Bulgaria will be 40,000 to 50,000'', Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova told bTV.

Last year over 30,000 Chinese tourists visited Bulgaria.

“If we start working on the joint tourist products, we could realistically expect about 100,000,” she added. She also said that work is under way for direct Sofia-Beijing flights and for a map of 100 European tourist attractions.

“We are starting with the sites covered by UNESCO to receive support from the World Tourism Organisation and UNESCO for the creation of a map of the 100 European tourist attractions,” the minister said.