It was only a few years until Bulgaria caught up and became a major holiday destination. Actually, Bulgaria has long been a prominent tourist destination. The tourists came almost exclusively from countries in the former East bloc. Things have changed dramatically, with hundreds of thousands of Western tourists pouring into Bulgaria’s beach and ski resorts each year. Many are enjoying a village holiday in Bulgaria.
More than half of the land in Bulgaria is mountainous with dozens of small villages and town spread across the valleys and under the high mountain tops. Many of these towns and villages have made a major push to become attractive tourist destinations and many of them have been successful. Actually, this is the preferred type of travel for most Bulgarians. This has become known as village tourism, although the destinations are not always in villages. International tourists are increasingly aware of this form of holiday travel.
A typical village tourism (?????? ??????? in Bulgarian) outing is over the weekend but it could also last a week or longer. The destination is typically a village or close to a small town where holiday seekers can enjoy natural beauty. This could be next to a mountain or a lake as is the case with the Central Balkan area. There might be some cultural attractions nearby such as monasteries or a town with a renovated historic center such as Lovetch, Veliko Turnovo or Plovdiv. So, the appeal of village tourism is that it puts one squarely into nature but, by virtue of Bulgaria being a relatively small country with short distances, one is also very close to various attractions. Often it is the authenticity of rural life itself that attracts people. Many Bulgarian villages presents sights long forgotten in the West such as a old woman walking around with a few goats, donkey carts, and old time village pubs.
Another appeal, and that’s very relevant to many Bulgarians who live on a budget, is that village tourism is relatively inexpensive. Out of the main cities, the industry offers hundreds of private rental villas as well as B&B's run by their owners. They have 3 to 4 rooms and a small restaurant, essentially a B&B. Staying in the guest houses or renting a villa cost a fraction of what it cost to book a hotel room or a private apartment in one of the main resort.
