January 11 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria will work alongside Russia for sustaining 40% growth of the number of Russian tourists in summer 2017, tourism minister Nikolina Angelkova said on Wednesday.
Russia is among the main markets of Bulgarian tourism services, Angelkova said in a statement following a meeting with the head of Russian state tourism agency Rostourism, Oleg Safonov.
In summer 2016, Bulgaria recorded a 40% rise in the number of Russian tourists.
Russian citizens formed the fourth largest group of foreign tourists who visited Bulgaria in January-November 2016, with 570,000 tourists.
Tourism services contribute 15% to Bulgaria's gross domestic product, according to economy ministry data.