Tourism is projected to generate 8.4 percent of Bulgaria’s gross domestic product in 2025, according to estimates by the World Travel and Tourism Council. The data was presented by Deputy Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva during a session of the parliamentary committee responsible for oversight of the ministry’s work, where she reported on the implementation of the ministry’s program budget for the first half of the year.

Georgieva emphasized that the core objective of the program budget is to ensure the sustainable growth of the tourism industry while strengthening its contribution to Bulgaria’s overall economic performance. She noted that tourism continues to play a key role in supporting the country’s development, both in terms of employment and regional balance.

According to figures from the National Statistical Institute, the number of Bulgarian tourists staying in accommodation with ten or more beds grew by 2.9 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, foreign tourist visit, excluding transit travelers, increased by 3.6 percent.

Georgieva highlighted that these results surpass the ministry’s initial targets, which projected a one percent annual increase in domestic tourism and a two percent rise in international arrivals. “The growth we are currently observing for both Bulgarian and foreign tourists gives us grounds to expect that the targets set for the year will be exceeded,” she stated.

The Ministry of Tourism’s program budget is structured around three key areas: improving policies and regulatory frameworks, strengthening national tourism marketing and international cooperation, and ensuring effective administrative management.

In the first six months of the year, revenue from concession fees, fines, penalties, and administrative charges under the Tourism Act reached 37.75 percent of the planned annual total. At the same time, the execution of expenditures stood at 50 percent—an outcome Georgieva described as both balanced and positive, indicating sound financial management and steady progress toward achieving the ministry’s goals.