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Lake Bled is the most famous scenic spot in Slovenia. After Slovenia joined the Schengen A areafree willIn 2008, travel to the Balkans saw rapid growth among Chinese tourists. LIU JIANG / XINHUA |
A rich history, destinations as diverse as soaring mountains and sunny beaches, and easier visa applications have made the Balkans an emerging attraction for Chinese tourists.
Sitting in the southeast Europethe Balkan Peninsula is adjacent to the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains and is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Sarajevo, the poetic Danube and the Bulgarian Rose Valley are all special places tourist attractionssaid Jia Bei, a Balkan travel officer at Beijing Royal international travels.
Travel to the Balkans has seen rapid growth among Chinese tourists, especially since visa applications were made easier, Jia said.
“We have organized the travel of more than 2,000 tourists to the Balkans over the past years, and the region has welcomedds great potential for the future,” Jia said.
“Many tourists are university professors or business executives and know the local history and culture, even movies and music from Balkan countries, such as Albania, Serbia and Romania,” Jia said.
The best time to travel is from May to October, when the climate is temperate and the vegetation is lush. free willn landscapes can be enjoyed. Heavy snowfall can make traveling more difficult in winter, but towns take on a postcard-like appearance as they are blanketed in white.
However, it costs around 40,000 yuan ($6,460) per guest to visit the main Balkan countries.
Additionally, there are no non-stop flights, so tourists must pass through Istanbul, Vienna or Venice, according to Jia.
Although visa applications are easier, they are still not as convenient as those in larger Western countries. EUEuropean destinations because Balkan countries have different requirements, said Jiang Yiyi, director of the International Tourism Development Institute of the Chinese Tourism Academy.
But the Prime Minister’s visit will help to further establish the region on the tourist map.
“With the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister Li Keqiangwe believe that Balkan travel will grow rapidly in the future,” Jia said.
There are several special tourist offers for most of the major Balkan countries, including a 16-day trip covering Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Greece.
Zhu Biyi, a 60-year-old man recently retired from Xinjiang Daily, I spent 23 days traveling in the Balkans from late September to early October.
“I have visited more than 50 countries and this time, curiosity made me choose the Balkans,” Zhu said.
Zhu read about local history and culture before the trip.
“It turned out to be a very exciting journey and I saw how different religions and cultures integrate with each other,” Zhu said.
He was very impressed by the different architectural styles and the remains of major historical events that he had heard about.
He was out of breath when he looked out over the Adriatic Sea.
“I have seen many seas before, but the Adriatic Sea is something different, especially compared to the seas off the Chinese mainland,” Zhu said.
“I could clearly see my whole body when I was swimming in the sea.”
The only downside to Zhu’s trip was the tour guide service.
“The tour guides varied depending on the countries visited and their quality was uneven,” Zhu said.
One tour guide was a professor and was very good at explaining local conditions, but most guides don’t speak Chinese or know local culture and history, Zhu said.