site.btaOver 400 Turkish Tourists Kick Off New Season at Albena Resort

Tourists from Turkiye have officially kicked off the new tourist season at the Albena resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Several buses carrying over 400 Turkish visitors arrived in Albena on the first day of Ramadan Bayram for a four-day holiday. According to Bircan Sali, a manager overseeing the Turkish market at the resort, these are the first organized tourist groups from Turkiye to visit this season, she told BTA on Thursday.

The Turkish visitors mainly took advantage of the balneotherapy and spa services with mineral water, which are available year-round at the resort, as well as the sports facilities for both adults and children in Albena, which holds the title of European Sports Resort.

The Turkish tourists showed great interest in visiting the Akyazılı Baba tekke in the nearby village of Obrochishte, a significant 16th-century Ottoman architectural monument with strong religious significance, revered by both Muslims and Christians. The site is considered one of the cultural treasures of the Dobrudzha Region.

They also visited the unique Botanical Garden near Balchik, as well as the landmarks of Varna, Bulgaria’s maritime capital.

According to the Turkish visitors, the resort’s comfortable hotel facilities, healthy food options, entertainment programmes, and child-friendly vacation opportunities make it an attractive destination. The affordable prices also meet their expectations, Sali added.

According to the manager, in June, during the Kurban Bayrami holiday, the number of tourists is expected to double. "We also received bookings for seaside holidays following the major International Tourism and Holiday Exhibition (EMITT) in Istanbul this February, where we were showcased," Sali noted.

Despite the challenges some Turkish tourists face in obtaining Bulgarian visas, interest in Bulgarian resorts has been growing recently. Many Turks, especially those with "green passports" (allowing visa-free travel in Europe), prefer to visit Bulgaria due to the variety of year-round tourism options, the geographical proximity, the opportunity to visit an EU country, and the rising costs of holidays in Turkish resort complexes due to high inflation, commented tour operator Gokhan Mercan from Istanbul.