Bulgaria sees rise in outbound travel while Romania tops inbound visitor rankings
In August, Bulgarian trips abroad grew 3.5% to about 1.12 million, while Romania became the most visited foreign destination for Bulgarian tourists.
According to preliminary figures from the National Statistics Institute in Sofia, Bulgarians made 1,116,200 trips abroad in August, a 3.5% increase over the same month last year, with growth recorded for leisure, other purposes and business travel. Greece attracted the most visitors at roughly 321,600 trips, Turkey followed with about 288,500, and Romania ranked third with close to 78,900 trips. In contrast, Bulgaria welcomed 2,221,200 foreign visitors in August, a 2.1% decline, and business trips fell 5.5%. Romanian nationals formed the biggest EU visitor segment, representing over 32% of EU arrivals, and led overall foreign visits with approximately 419,200 trips, ahead of Turkey and Germany.
Why it matters
The data highlights shifting tourism patterns in the Balkans, affecting regional economies and travel markets.
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