About 300,000 Russians dream of a holiday at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. They have besieged the Bulgarian consulates in Russia to obtain the long-cherished visas.
Many of them faint at the long queues, Bulgarians from Moscow report.
The Russian tourists in Bulgaria will be by 25% more than last year, according to tourist agencies and hotel-keepers.
In the Russian Federation a law came into force in the beginning of June, under which only certain companies are allowed to take tourist groups abroad. Each company has to pay a guarantee of US$300,000. There are 10,000 tour operators in Russia but only 1,200 are up to the criteria.
Many Russian businessmen come to Bulgaria to oversee their property or on a holiday with their families, without using the services of tour operators.