Official statistics shows an increased number of hotels and other accommodation facilities but fewer overnights, lower occupancy rate and shrinking receipts from accommodation services in the second quarter of 2009 compared to this time last year.

Overall for this country, revenues from overnights in accommodation facilities and lodgings in the second quarter of 2009 were 11 per cent smaller than in the respective quarter of 2008, amounting to 155.6 million leva. Revenues from overnights of foreigners declined 14.9 per cent to 103.4 million leva, the National Statistical Institute said.

The total number of overnights in all accommodation facilities and lodgings in the country in the second quarter decreased by 747,800 (16.4 per cent) from the like period of 2008, and totalled 3,814,000.

In the second quarter of 2009 there were 3,015 accommodation facilities and lodgings operating in the country with over ten beds in each - hotels, motels, camping sites, huts and other facilities for short-term accommodation. The number of rooms in them was 110,400, and the number of beds was 249,000. The total number of accommodation facilities and lodgings increased by 382 (14.5 per cent) compared to the like period of 2008, with the increase of hotels amounting to 115 or 7.8 per cent.

The number of overnights spent by Bulgarians in accommodation facilities and lodgings decreased by 108,700 (7.1 per cent) compared to the respective quarter of 2008, and totalled 1,417,600. Compared to the second quarter of the previous year, overnights spent by foreigners also decreased - 21.1 per cent.

The total number of people who spent overnights decreased by 168,900 (12.7 per cent) and stood at 1,156,000, including 54.3 per cent Bulgarians. The number of foreigners who spent overnights decreased by 84,600 (13.8 per cent) compared to the like period of the previous year.

The share of people from Germany was the largest (17.5 per cent). Almost all foreigners (99.3 per cent) preferred to stay in hotels, and only 0.7 per cent of them stayed in other accommodation facilities (camping sites, huts and other facilities for short-term accommodation).

In the second quarter of 2009, the total occupancy of beds in accommodation facilities and lodgings was 21.5 per cent, 5.8 percentage points below the rate in the like period of the previous year.

Source: BTA