Bulgaria Tourist Arrivals Up 6.9% in January

Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose 6.9% year-on-year to 790.3 thousand in January 2026 from 739.0 thousand a year earlier, with growth recorded across all travel purposes. Visits for holiday and recreation totaled 307.2 thousand, professional trips 111.0 thousand, and other purposes 372.1 thousand. EU citizens accounted for 54.2% of total arrivals, led by Romania (37.6%) and Greece (31.2%), followed by Germany (4.1%), Italy (3.9%), and Austria (3.2%). Visitors from other European countries represented 37.2% of total arrivals, with Turkey leading the group at 49.3%, followed by Serbia (18.1%), North Macedonia (19.0%), and Russia (1.6%). Transit passes made up 27.5% of all visits.

Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria increased by 6.6% year-on-year to 888.4 thousand in December 2025, accelerating from a 2.9% rise in the previous month and marking the strongest gain since June 2024. Growth was recorded across all travel purposes, including trips for holiday and recreation, which rose by 33.9%, followed by professional travel, up 14.7%.Visitors from the European Union accounted for 56% of total arrivals, with the largest shares coming from Romania (34.2%) and Greece (29.1%), followed by Germany (10.1%), Italy (5.3%), and Austria (3.8%). Arrivals from other European countries represented 37.4% of the total, driven primarily by tourists from Turkey (52.6%), Serbia (16.6%), Ukraine (13.2%), and North Macedonia (12.1%).

The number of tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose by 2.9% year-on-year to 732.8 thousand in November 2025, following a 0.4% growth in October. An increase in the trips with all observed purposes was registered, with other purposes accounting for the largest share (49.4%), followed by holiday and recreation purposes (31.1%), and professional purposes (19.5%). Visitors from the EU accounted 49.8% of total visits to Bulgaria, reaching 365.1 thousand, led by Romania (43.4%), Greece (25.4%), Germany (7.60%), and Italy (4.94%). Meanwhile, travelers from other European countries represented 42.4% of the total, reaching 310.7 thousand, mainly coming from Turkey (52.3%), followed by Serbia (18.9%), Ukraine (15%), and Macedonia (9.6%).