We expect 30,000 Israeli tourists in the winter season and a 15% increase in winter resorts
The first ski tourists arrived this morning on an EL AL flight. 159 passengers on board, including Israeli media and bloggers eager to be part of the new winter season.
Upon arrival at Sofia Airport, the flight was greeted with the traditional water salute and the passengers were personally greeted by Orly Dafna Sona, Israel’s Consul in Bulgaria. Her words about the beauty of our country and the opportunities it offers are indicative of our country’s popularity as a foreign tourist destination – 250,000 people visit Bulgaria all year round.
Mariela Modeva – Deputy Minister of Tourism, described Israel as a promising market for our country and shared optimistic figures for the current season: more than 30,000 tourists from Israel are expected. Foreign visitors to Bulgaria are interested in summer, winter, spa tourism as well as cultural tourism.
“In recent years 1.5 million passengers arrived by more than 10,000 EL AL flights and visited Sofia and the country,” said Jesús Caballero, CEO of Sofia Airport. “We have optimistic expectations for the upcoming winter season – the new 271-seat Dremaliner, which began operating on the Sofia-Tel Aviv route at the beginning of the year, will provide more travel options to the capital and the country, as well as additional revenue for the local economy and tourism industry.”
Kobi Golan, EL AL’s Vice President, International Operations, said, “The past few years have seen a large increase in the number of passengers booking flights to Sofia, a trend that continues into the winter season, too. EL AL considers Sofia a strategic route and provides many resources to sustain this interest.”