Bulgaria Tourist Arrivals Rebound in May

2026-06-29 08:37 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose by 2.4% year-on-year to an eight-month high of 1,021.8 thousand in May 2026, rebounding from a 1.4% decline in the previous month.

Holiday and leisure travel accounted for the largest share of arrivals at 41.8%, followed by visits for other purposes (43.9%), while business and professional trips represented 14.2%.

Visitors from European Union countries totaled 618.7 thousand, or 60.5% of all arrivals, with Romania (41.2%), Greece (23.7%), and Germany (10.4%) remaining the leading source markets.

Tourists from other European countries accounted for 33.5% of arrivals, led by Turkey (55.8%) and Serbia (13.9%).

Elsewhere, visitors from other countries made up 1.5% of the total, with Israel contributing 68.3% of that segment.

Transit travelers passing through Bulgaria reached 307.9 thousand, representing 30.1% of all non-resident visits during the month.



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Bulgaria Tourist Arrivals Rebound in May
Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose by 2.4% year-on-year to an eight-month high of 1,021.8 thousand in May 2026, rebounding from a 1.4% decline in the previous month. Holiday and leisure travel accounted for the largest share of arrivals at 41.8%, followed by visits for other purposes (43.9%), while business and professional trips represented 14.2%. Visitors from European Union countries totaled 618.7 thousand, or 60.5% of all arrivals, with Romania (41.2%), Greece (23.7%), and Germany (10.4%) remaining the leading source markets. Tourists from other European countries accounted for 33.5% of arrivals, led by Turkey (55.8%) and Serbia (13.9%). Elsewhere, visitors from other countries made up 1.5% of the total, with Israel contributing 68.3% of that segment. Transit travelers passing through Bulgaria reached 307.9 thousand, representing 30.1% of all non-resident visits during the month.
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Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria fell by 1.4% year-on-year to 786.5 thousand in April 2026, reversing a 0.5% increase in the previous month. This marked the first annual contraction in tourist arrivals since June 2025, as trips for other purposes declined by 4.8%, while professional visits fell by 1.3%, whereas holiday and recreation travel increased by 3.2%. EU citizens accounted for 55.4% of total arrivals, or 435.6 thousand, with the largest shares coming from Romania (41.2%) and Greece (30.8%). Meanwhile, visitors from other European countries made up 38.5%, or 303 thousand, led by Turkey at 60.2% of that group, or 182.5 thousand. In addition, transit passes accounted for 30.8% of all non-resident visits to Bulgaria, or 242.6 thousand.
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Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose by 0.5% year-on-year to 771.2 thousand in March 2026, slowing from a 2% increase in the previous month. An increase of 5.5% was registered in the trips with professional purposes and of 1.1% in those with holiday and recreation purposes, while those with other purposes decreased by 1.3%. EU citizens made up 56.7% of total arrivals, or 437.5 thousand, the largest being by visitors from Romania (36.9%) and Greece (31.0%). Visitors from other European countries accounted for 38.3% of arrivals, totaling 295.6 thousand, with the highest registered number of visits from Turkey, representing 59.1% of this group, or 174.7 thousand. The transit passes through the country were 31.8% or 245.0 thousand of all visits of non-residents to Bulgaria.
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