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In June 2025, the number of Bulgarians traveling abroad reached 943.6 thousand, marking a 10.4% increase compared to the same month in 2024. Data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) indicates a rise in trips across all recorded categories.
Turkey and Greece remain the most preferred destinations for Bulgarian travelers, with 246.1 thousand and 219.8 thousand visits, respectively. Other countries drawing significant numbers include Romania (91.5 thousand), Germany (64.6 thousand), Serbia (60.7 thousand), Italy (34.3 thousand), Austria (30.3 thousand), North Macedonia (27.8 thousand), Spain (25.9 thousand), and France (24.9 thousand).
The main reason for traveling abroad continues to be leisure, accounting for 42.9% of all trips. Journeys for other personal reasons made up 41.1%, while business-related travel comprised 16.0%.
On the inbound side, Bulgaria welcomed 1,426.8 thousand foreign visitors in June 2025, a slight decrease of 3.1% from the previous year. Business travel declined by 9.3%, and tourism visits were down by 4.8%, while trips for other purposes rose marginally by 0.5%. A notable portion - 31.4%, or 448.2 thousand - of these entries were transits through the country.
European Union citizens made up 56.6% of the foreign arrivals, totaling 808.3 thousand visits. Among them, Romanians formed the largest group (30.0%), followed by Germans (16.9%), Greeks (13.0%), and Poles (11.7%).
Visitors from “Other European countries” accounted for 544.3 thousand, representing 38.1% of all foreign arrivals. The bulk of these came from Turkey - 239.3 thousand entries, equating to 44.0% of the category.
The overall breakdown of visits to Bulgaria by nationality shows Romania leading with 242.2 thousand visitors, closely followed by Turkey (239.3 thousand). Germany (136.5 thousand), Ukraine (134.1 thousand), Greece (105.3 thousand), and Poland (94.3 thousand) also sent considerable numbers. Other countries in the top ten include Serbia (73.9 thousand), the United Kingdom (42.5 thousand), the Czech Republic (41.0 thousand), and North Macedonia (29.4 thousand).
Tourism remains the dominant motive for visiting Bulgaria, with 52.4% of foreign arrivals coming for vacation. Visits for other reasons made up 39.9%, while business travel was the least common purpose at 7.7%.
Source: NSI
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