SOFIA Tourism in Figures 2015
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SOFIA Tourism in Figures 2015 www.visitsofia.bg Sofia Tourism Administration 2016 Edition ОП“Туризъм“ Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration CONTENTS 2015 I. INTRODUCTION II. DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PROFILE p. 1 III. TRANSPORT p.3 Air, road, railway and city transport IV. ACCOMMODATION p.12 Supply, demand, occupancy, Sofia’s position in Bulgaria V. CATERING AND ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENTS p.31 Types and capacity VI. PRICES OF SOME COMMODITIES AND TOURIST SERVICES p.32 Comparison of prices in some European capitals VII. MORE ABOUT SOFIA p.36 History Culture Nature Sports and leisure activities Discover Sofia Free Walking Tour Pilgrimage tours VIII. GLOSSARY p.44 Terms and abbreviations ОП“Туризъм“ Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration INTRODUCTION 2015 Ivo Marinov Director Sofia Tourism Administration Dear consumers, Dear colleagues, Sofia Tourism Administration presents to you the fifth consequent edition of the tourist reference book “Sofia – Tourism in Figures”. The current information presents the opportunity to study in detail the development of tourism and the tendencies in the field. 2015 was of strategic importance to the development of Sofia as a contemporary European city with a competitive economy, part of which is tourism. The strategic decisions and the grand scale work toward achieving competitiveness of the city would start to contribute to the development of tourism. In order to maximize the contribution of the management of the destination, as well as increasing the competitiveness of the city’s economy, Sofia has worked toward a based on knowledge economic and public development. In 2015 the Bulgarian capital became the core of innovations and start-ups in the country and set the course of the development of the successful destinations. On December 11, 2015, the first science-technological park in Bulgaria – Sofia Tech Park – was opened in order to connect science, business and technologies. In unison with EU’s policy, where innovations lead, a new Strategy for Smart Specialization of the Economy of Sofia 2016-2020 was devised. Thus, Sofia became the first city in Bulgaria with a municipal strategy for smart specialization – a worthy example for the other cities and regions in the country. The strategy included two main directions – the development of new technologies in the creative and re-creative industries and production and distribution of films in south-east Europe, thus strengthening Sofia’s position as a regional capital of the new digital market. In 2015 Sofia municipality worked effortlessly toward providing better infrastructure and system of public transport, new attractions, sports facilities, parks, rich event calendar. The applied green policy toward sustainable development of the destination’s economy aims not only at preserving the resource but at providing favourable field for developing the tourist business and quality experience for the visitors. In this regard, in 2015, two new tourist information centres were established – Chitalnyata (the reading room) and Largo, thus adding to a total of five. Sofia municipality through Sofia Tourism Administration continues to offer two free of charge products for citizens and visitors of Sofia – a free tour of the main centre’s landmarks and four annual pilgrimage tours, visiting monasteries around the capital and the Rila holy cloister. ОП“Туризъм“ Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration 2015 saw two new attractions – Sofia History Museum and the largest science centre in Eastern Europe – Muzeyko. The capital also offered to its citizens and visitors one more step into the future – the modern mobile application Farol City Guides, which is a contemporary city guide. The investments and the large scale projects brought prizes in the first INFRASTRUCTURE BULGARIA AWARDS 2016 national competition in the categories of Ecologic infrastructure and Metropolitan – transport infrastructure, as well as special awards. In 2015 the tourist industry continues to grow keeping the sustainable tendency of previous years. Tourist growth in 2015 compared to 2014 is 9,72%. Statistics shows that 1 061 522 tourists have visited Sofia in 2015 and the registered overnights mark a 8,49% growth and the figure is 1 872 978. The number of tourists from Germany, Great Britain and Italy has raised. Sofia Airport has received 7% more tourists in 2015 compared to 2014 due mainly to international travelers, whose increase is 7.6%. The direct flights connecting Sofia Airport to various international destinations in 2015 is 54 with Dusseldorf, Memmingen, Naples, Bari, Geneve and Koln being the latest additions. The stats of Sofia in the national system of tourism show the considerable contribution of the city for improving the efficiency of the tourist development of the country. Even with considerably low capacity for accommodation (4.1% of accommodation establishments and 3.9% of beds), Sofia has a leading position regarding tourism in Bulgaria, especially in regard to overnights revenue (3rd place). Sofia is above the average country levels regarding overnights in 2015 compared to 2014 (Sofia has a 5.28% growth, Bulgaria – 1.38% negative growth) and people staying overnight (Sofia – 6,65% growth, Bulgaria – 5.6% growth). The challenges that Sofia faced in 2015 set the capital on a course that “Grows but does not age” and it shall work toward keeping its competitiveness at the European tourist market. ОП“Туризъм“ Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILEDEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PROFILE 2015 Numbr of District in Sofia % DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE citizens 1 Lyulin 114 813 8,9 Area: 492,092 sq. km 2 Serdica 46 949 3,6 Sofia occupies 6.9% of the whole area of the 3 Krasno Selo 83 552 6,5 4 Triaditsa 63 451 4,9 District of Sofia, which has a territory of 7,059 5 Mladost 102 899 8 sq. km or 6.4% of the area of the country 6 Novi Iskar 28 991 2,2 (Bulgaria: 110,994 sq. km). 7 Oborishte 31 060 2,4 8 Ovcha Kupel 54 417 4,2 9 Ilinden 33 236 2,6 Population: 1,292,591 (NSI figures according to 2011 census) 10 Iskar 63 248 4,9 Krasna By the end of 2015 the population of the 11 58 234 4,5 Polyana capital city numbered 1 231 981, accounting 12 Lozenets 53 080 4,1 for 17,2% of the population of Bulgaria (7 153 784), according 13 Nadezhda 67 905 5,3 to NSI stats. The said number is to go up to 14 Sredets 32 423 2,5 1 360 412 by 2020, referring to a realistic and 15 Poduyane 76 672 5,9 EU-consistent convergence hypothesis variant. Sofia is divided in 24 administrative districts. 16 Studentski 71 961 5,6 17 Bankya 12 136 0,9 18 Izgrev 30 896 2,4 Districts of Sofia municipality 19 Kremikovtsi 23 641 1,8 20 Vrabnitsa 47 969 3,7 21 Vitosha 61 467 4,8 Reference source: NSI, 2011 22 Pancharevo 28 586 2,2 23 Slatina 66 702 5,2 24 Vazrazhdane 37 303 2,9 TOTAL: 1 291 591 100 ОП“Туризъм“ Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILEDEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PROFILE 2015 ECONOMIC PROFILE Employed persons 2015 According to 2015 NSI figures, the average registered number of persons employed under contract of employment or ex-officio in the capital city is 670 400. According to Sofia Tourism Administration figures 32 885 persons are employed at accommodation establishments and catering and еntertainment establishments, licensed and rated by the Mayor of Sofia Municipality for 2015. Number of people employed in the categorized by the mayoer of Sofia in the hotel, restaurant and catering sector in the territory of Sofia Municipality in 2015 by districts Total employed at People employed accommodation restaurants, catering People employed at establishments, and entertainment accommodation restaurants, catering and establishments establishments District entertainment establishments Number Number Number of people Share % Share % of Share % of people people Lyulin 1 207 3,67 1 187 3,7 20 1,8 Serdica 839 2,55 779 2,4 60 5,5 Krasno Selo 1 546 4,70 1 503 4,7 43 3,9 Triaditsa 3 392 10,31 3 290 10,3 102 9,37 Mladost 2 455 7,47 2 408 7,5 47 4,3 Novi Iskar 206 0,63 196 0,6 10 0,9 Oborishte 2 381 7,24 2 275 7,1 106 9,7 Ovcha Kupel 754 2,29 712 2,2 42 3,8 Ilinden 598 1,82 598 1,8 0 0 Iskar 897 2,73 891 2,8 6 0,5 Krasna Polyana 305 0,93 305 0,9 0 0 Lozenets 1 732 5,27 1 709 5,4 30 2,75 Nadezhda 723 2,20 718 2,3 5 0,45 Sredets 4 356 13,25 4 289 13,5 67 6,1 Poduyane 798 2,43 768 2,4 30 2,75 Studentski 2 304 7,01 2 263 7,1 41 3,76 Bankya 291 0,88 219 0,7 72 6,6 Izgrev 854 2,60 844 2,6 10 0,9 Kremikovtsi 355 1,08 339 1,06 16 1,47 Vrabnitsa 347 1,06 335 1,05 12 1,1 Vitosha 2 269 6,90 2 151 6,76 118 10,8 Pancharevo 725 2,20 665 2,09 60 5,5 Slatina 1 518 4,62 1 424 4,47 94 8,6 Vazrazhdane 2 033 6,18 1 929 6,06 104 9,55 Total 32 885 100 31 797 100 1088 100 Reference Source: Sofia Tourism Administration – based on figures indicated in inventories of professional and language qualifications of persons employed at accommodation and catering and entertainment establishments. The high concentration of accommodation and catering and entertainment establishments in the city centre is a prerequisite for the large number of employed people mainly in this region of Sofia.