Bulgaria and Romania are just beginning their rivalry in the tourism sector, French Le Petit Journal writes in an article on tourism in the two countries.

Romania's Black Sea coast is struggling under the success of the Bulgarian resorts and the devastating floods didn't help much either, so the country has turned to rural tourism, the article says.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry even went to the lengths of placing Bulgaria in the list of countries where tourists are advised to take some precautions, along with Iran. Foreign Minister Mihai Ungureanu has said that several problems were reported by tourists going to these two countries, the newspaper writes.

Stanimir Petkov, adviser with the Bulgarian embassy in Bucharest, however believes that there is another reason. Before Romania's Cotidianul newspaper he said that "Romania collected only EUR 1 B last year thanks to its tourism whereas Bulgaria gained EUR 4 B."

Another hit on Romania's pride is that lately more and more of its own tourists choose Bulgaria's glimmering beaches before their own.

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