Balkan horror stories must convince Romanian citizens to spend summer vacations at Romania's resorts instead of living trough the nightmares of traveling to Bulgaria, Turkey or Greece, according to one of the leading Romanian daily newspapers Evenimentul Zilei.

The publication cites Romanian tour operators telling dreadful stories about deplorable conditions and robbers in Bulgaria, the avian flu in Turkey and wildfires in Greece.

The publication and tour operators eagerly remind Romanians about the 2007 incident when eight Romanian tourists, traveling in Bulgaria were attacked by criminals impersonating police officers.

In addition, the article points out the wildfires that devastated part of Greece last year and the death of several people from avian flu in Turkey, using the examples to entice Romanians to spend their vacations home and to curb their desire for travels to the neighboring countries.

Since the joining of the European Union, Bulgaria has been a top travel destination fro many Romanians who enjoy spending their holidays mainly at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.