The number of Russian nationals awarded Bulgarian visas in 2011 rose by more than 30% compared to the previous year.

The total number of visas awarded to Russians in 2011 totalled 390,882, according to the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday.

The information was reported Wednesday by the press centre of the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry. The number of applications for Bulgarian visas made by individual applicants, rather than couples or families, was up by 64% as more businessmen decide to invest in the country.

The increase has been put down to the number of travellers to Bulgaria, particularly from Russia, who have been buying up large amounts of the property there, often as second homes or holiday homes for their family and friends.

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