In December 2023, travel to and from Bulgaria increased compared to the same month in the previous year, according to data from the National Statistical Institute. The number trips of Bulgarians abroad for this month has reached 649.1 thousand, increasing by 7.3% compared to December 2022. An increase was reported in all categories of travel, including leisure and excursions, business, and other purposes.

The most visited destinations by Bulgarians are: Turkey (173.7 K trips), Greece (119.1 K), Romania (62.5 K), Serbia (59.4 K), Germany (42.1 K), North Macedonia (25.7 K), Austria (21.9 K), Italy (20.6 K), the United Kingdom (18.8K), and Spain (13.4 K).

The majority of Bulgarian travels abroad include purposes such as: visiting, education, and participation in cultural and sports events - 44.8% of the total share, followed by travels for leisure and excursions 33.5%, while those for business purposes account for 21.7%.

During the same month, visits by foreign citizens to Bulgaria reached 785.4 K, increasing by 3.1% compared to the previous year. There is a growth observed in tourism for leisure and excursions by 6.6% and other purposes by 2.3%, while business visits decreased by 0.7%. Transit passages through the country account for 36.5% (286.5 K) of all visits by foreigners to Bulgaria.

The majority of visits to Bulgaria have been made by citizens from Turkey (162 K) Romania (158.3 K), Greece (126.1 K), Ukraine (52.3 K), Serbia (42.3 K), Germany (34.5 K), North Macedonia (34.3 K), Italy (22.2 K), the United Kingdom (15.7 K), and Austria (12.8 K). Most of the visits are for other purposes - 57.3%, followed by visits for leisure and excursions - 29%, and business purposes - 13.7%.

The share of citizens from the EU visiting Bulgaria is 52.8% of the total number of foreign visitors, reaching 414.6 K. The highest number of visits is from citizens of Romania - 38.2%, and Greece - 30.4%. Visits from the group "Other European countries" amount to 314.6 thousand, representing 40.1% of all visits to Bulgaria. Turkey leads in this group with 162 thousand visits or 51.5% of the total in this category.