Bulgaria Tourist Arrivals Up 2% in February

Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria increased by 2% year-on-year to 735.2 thousand in February 2026, down from 790.3 thousand in the previous month, increase in trips for all monitored purposes was registered. Visits for holiday and recreation totaled 288.1 thousand, professional trips reached 113.4 thousand, and other purposes accounted for 333.8 thousand. EU citizens made up 55.1% of total arrivals, or 405.1 thousand, led by Romania (43.6%) and Greece (24%). Visitors from other European countries accounted for 37.5% of arrivals, totaling 275.4 thousand, with Turkey representing 54.7% of this group. Transit visits made up 28.2% of total entries, or 207.5 thousand.

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%).