Bulgaria's Tourism Resilience: Foreign Visitor Numbers Surge in October

Amidst the ongoing recovery from the pandemic's impact on global travel, Bulgaria witnesses a noteworthy surge in visitor numbers for the month of October. According to recent data released by the National Statistical Institute, trips by Bulgarian residents abroad and visits by foreigners to the country exceeded pre-pandemic figures from 2019.

In October 2023, Bulgarian residents embarked on a total of 694,000 trips abroad, marking a substantial 15.8% increase compared to the same period in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 when trips numbered 473,300.

Concurrently, Bulgaria experienced a commendable 6.1% rise in visits by foreign citizens in October 2023 compared to the corresponding period in 2019. This resulted in 898,900 visits by foreigners to Bulgaria, compared to 766,400 visits in October 2019.

The top destinations for Bulgarian residents' trips abroad in October 2023 included Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Germany, the Republic of North Macedonia, Italy, the UK, Austria, and Spain. Trips for visiting, studying, cultural and sporting events constituted the majority, accounting for 42.2% of the total, followed by holiday trips at 37.8% and business-related trips at 20%.

The influx of foreign visitors to Bulgaria showcased a notable rise across all monitored destinations. Transit crossings constituted 36% of all foreign visits, with EU citizens accounting for 47.9% of the total foreign visitors. Romania, Greece, and Germany topped the list with the highest number of visits by citizens from EU states. Additionally, visits from non-EU countries amounted to 42.3% of all visits to Bulgaria, with Turkey contributing the most significant share.