Bulgaria's northern Black Sea resort welcomed 156 000 foreign tourists in May-August, 2010.

This is a 30% increase year-on-year, according to data from the Balchik Municipality showing that the tourists visiting the town in the same period of 2009 were 122 000.

The number of night stays in local hotels also grew substantially from 692 000 in the summer of 2009 to 952 000 this summer.

The largest number of foreign visitors to Balchik came from Romania, followed by Russia, Germany, Poland, and France.

However, those who stayed in the town longest are the Russians, followed by Germans, and Poles. Romanians are ranked only fourth on that criteria, most likely because the proximity allows them to come to the Bulgarian northern Black Sea coast more often but for shorter vacations.

Balchik is a town of 13 000 north of Varna, famous for its Botanical Garden.