Bulgaria has welcomed more than 7 million tourists from January to September, deputy tourism minister Mariela Modeva said. She gave the figures at the opening of the International Cultural Tourism Exhibition in Veliko Tarnovo.

From May to September alone, there were 5.7 million tourists, and more than 3.5 million of them were foreigners. Museums in Bulgaria had more than 7.9 million visitors.

Bulgaria keeps no separate figures for cultural tourism. It is tracked through visits to cultural and historical sites and museums, and through municipalities with many cultural treasures. Modeva said the number of visitors who came for cultural and historical tourism rose by about 1% in 21 Bulgarian municipalities.

Interest in this type of travel is also growing in Europe. Nearly 14% of tourists there travel to see cultural and historical places. The same share want city walks, and about 4% choose wine and food tourism. Together, these types of tourism make up about 32% of the market.

With about 40,000 immovable cultural monuments, Bulgaria ranks third in Europe, after Italy and Greece. Modeva said the country can host visitors all year round. "We can receive tourists with a story about our history, culture and traditions that go back more than 8,000 years," she said.

The deputy minister said the aim should be a better tourist product, not just more tourists. In her view, what matters most is how the country presents its history, culture and traditions.

Modeva said the key factors for the sector are transport links and easy access, a new tourist product or way of presenting it, and effective marketing and advertising in target markets.