According to TUI Russia, Bulgaria may soon be the chosen destinations of Russian tourists intent on vacations this coming Summer. Travel Russian News reported o Friday, Bulgaria having garnered some 60% of early bookings by tourists so far.
Burgas Bulgaria
Seen as a viable alternative to Turkey for Summer vacation, Bulgaria package tours for families seem to be in demand. TUI Russia Sales Director Natalia Smirnova told reporters last week:
“Right now, sales are not very large, because of the high exchange rate, but bookings are much more than at the beginning of 2015, demand for the destination is higher.”
Sunny Beach Bulgaria via the International Folklore Festival “Sunny Beach 2016”
Smirnova went on to say new visa rules allowing for kids and the elderly to travel to Bulgaria more easily, also play a role in the destination’s increased popularity. Besides the niche appeal of Bulgarian resorts, the rock bottom prices do not deter traveling Russians either. The budget beach resort Continental 2 Hotel is 41,000 rubles ($532 US) for seven nights at Sunny Beach (above). While TUI’s deals are super attractive, events like the International Folklore Festival coming this Summer do present even cheaper possibilities. We encourage readers to shop their best combinations of budget airlines and early bird specials too. For an instance, the festival organizers advertise for Hotel “Estrea” – Nesebar, five days for €109 euro with meals.
The news revealed both Cyprus and Greece as early booking favorites among TUI Russia travelers. Russia’s Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) said last month that travel agency Brisco will launch charter flights to Bulgaria’s Black Sea resorts. This too will compensate for lost bookings due to the situations with Turkey and Egypt.
Kriti Beach Hotel
TUI’s Russia site is currently offering deals to Crete like this getaway for 3 nights at Chrissi Amoudia Suneo in Hernonissos for two for just over 73,000 rubles (About $950 US) all inclusive. Also for Crete, the Kriti Beach Hotel offer for 7 nights is one we are familiar with. Our editors visited Kriti Beach (above image) a couple of seasons back, and 101,499 rubles (About $1300 US) for a week there is a steal. Located on a beautiful blue flag beach in Rethymno, Kriti Beach is a four star hotel in our book, located ideally.