Tourism in Plovdiv has seen an upswing in the past year. The city, defined as the oldest living city in Europe, has been listed by several world media such as the New York Times and Forbes as a place that is a must-visit, reports bTV.
Hristo Gyulev is the owner of three hotels, some of them in Old Plovdiv. He says he is sending off a very good year, with overnight stays at his hotel increasing by almost 15%.
“For one segment of the hotel industry, namely the small boutique hotels in the city center, the Old Town and Kapana and the high-end hotels, 90% of the guests are foreigners“, he shares.
There were around 600 thousand overnight stays in hotels in the first ten months of the past year, according to the Plovdiv municipality. The growth is almost 10% compared to the previous year, we welcome tourists from Greece, Turkey, Spain, America.
The rich cultural calendar attracts tourists - more than 900 significant festivals, forums, exhibitions and events of national and international importance were held in Plovdiv per year.
“For the big events, the official sports and cultural calendar for 2025 is about to be published. For the big events, two or three months in advance are almost completely booked“, says Hristo.
Most tourists visit Plovdiv from the beginning of April to the end of October. The winter months are preferred by people who avoid crowds.
New archaeological sites are also attracting more tourists. Just a few months ago, the Odeon was opened, the place where the city elders of Philippopolis met, for the first time tourists have the opportunity to walk in the tunnels under the Odeon.
„Last year we opened the East Gate and the Odeon, now Nebet Tepe is coming up, it is in close proximity to one of the longest pedestrian zones in Europe and I am increasingly happy to see tourists and not only - Plovdiv residents, visiting these tourist finds“, says the mayor of Plovdiv.
As a professional tour guide, Iliya Iliev shows the beauty of Plovdiv mainly to foreigners.
„They are quite interested in the Roman heritage, rather - they don't know about the Bulgarian Renaissance culture, houses, there I surprise them a little more with stories and information“, he says.
Plovdiv is preferred and increasingly sought after as a weekend destination, hoteliers say. Their ambition is to attract more tourists even in the weaker winter season.