The decline in holiday reservations in Bulgaria by Russian tourists is due to difficulties in issuing visas, says Russia's Ambassador Anatoly Makarov.

Anatoly Makarov, Russia's Ambassador to Bulgaria: A big obstacle for Russians is not so much extra payments, but the lack of multiple tourist visas.

At a forum of the Bulgarian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry he pointed out that other European countries have long been issuing long-term visas. In 2018, 512 000 Russian tourists visited Bulgaria, said Deputy Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva. 

This puts them in sixth place among the holidaymakers.

Tour operators are alarming for a 25% drop in early registrations from Russia for the upcoming tourist season.

The rush of Russian tourists is an economic conjuncture that has been observed and another time, commented Georgi Minchev, chairman of the Bulgarian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For the last 3 years, the number of tourists has increased by more than 1/3, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The revenues from foreign tourism for January-November 2018 are 7.2 billion BGN, 6.6% growth compared to the same period in 2017.