Bulgaria Eyes up to 70,000 Foreign Workers Amid Domestic Labor Gap
Between 50,000 and 70,000 foreign workers may enter Bulgaria by the end of 2025 if the current pace of labor import continues
The number of trips of Bulgarian citizens abroad in May 2019 was 762.1 thousand, or 4.6% above those registered in May 2018, NSI reported, quoted by BNT. The increase in the number of trips of Bulgarian citizens compared to the same month of the previous year is reported for: Italy - by 9.5%, Republic of Northern Macedonia - 7.3%, Turkey - by 6.5%, Romania by 5.6%, Greece by 3.4% Germany - by 3.3%, and others. At the same time, the number of trips of Bulgarian citizens decreased to: Austria - 6.8%, Poland - 5.0%, Belgium - 3.4%, Serbia - 0.3%, and others.
Compared to May 2018, there was an increase for all monitored purposes: "others" - by 6.1%, "official business" - by 5.5%, and “vacations" by 2.1%. The largest relative share of the total number of trips of Bulgarian citizens abroad in May 2019 formed the trips with other purposes (visiting, training, visiting cultural and sporting events) - 39.1%, followed by excursions - 33.5 %, and for business purposes - 27.4%. In May 2019 the largest number of trips of Bulgarian citizens were made to: Greece - 190.5 thousand, Turkey - 157.0 thousand, Romania - 61.3 thousand, Republic of Northern Macedonia - 48.3 thousand, Germany - 44.8 thousand, Serbia - 44.7 thousand, Italy - 31.6 thousand, Austria - 24.2 thousand, the United Kingdom - 21.9 thousand, Spain - 21.3 thousand.
In May 2019, foreign visitors to Bulgaria were 946.7 thousand or 0.9% more than in May 2018. There was an increase in trips for the following purposes: "other" (including visits and transit) - by 2.1% and "for business purposes" - by 1.7%, while those for “vacations” decreased by 0.9%. Transit passages across the country are 26.9% (254.6 thousand) of all visits of foreigners to Bulgaria.
The share of European Union’s citizens from the total number of foreigners who visited Bulgaria in May 2019, was 62.7% or 0.7% less than in the same month of the previous year. Visits by UK citizens increased by 14.1%, Austria by 6.7%, Greece by 2.9%, Poland by 0.7%, Romania by 0.3%, and others. At the same time, the number of visits by citizens from Italy - by 17.2%, Germany - by 0.5%, France - by 0.5%, and others decreased.
The visits of citizens from the group "Other European countries" increased by 3.3%, with the largest increase of the visits of citizens from Ukraine - by 29.8%.
In May 2019, the share of visits for other purposes was 41.9%, followed by visits for vacation and excursion 38.4% and 19.7% for official purposes.
The largest number of visits to Bulgaria in May 2019 came from: Romania - 264.0 thousand, Greece - 103.6 thousand, Turkey - 99.0 thousand, Germany - 68.5 thousand, Serbia - 55.3 thousand, Republic of Northern Macedonia - 43.0 thousand, the United Kingdom - 33.0 thousand, Ukraine - 32.2 thousand, the Russian Federation - 28.3 thousand, Poland - 22.0 thousand.
Between 50,000 and 70,000 foreign workers may enter Bulgaria by the end of 2025 if the current pace of labor import continues
With the tourist season now underway and the first waves of visitors arriving at the Northern Black Sea resorts, employers are once again facing a familiar and worsening challenge
FlixBus is expanding its presence in Southeast Europe this summer with a fresh set of international and seasonal routes
Rumen Draganov from the Institute for Evaluation and Analysis in Tourism spoke to Bulgarian National Radio about the transition to the euro in Bulgaria
Bulgaria's Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov shared his impressions of a train journey from Mezdra to Sofia on Facebook
Starting June 15, traveling by train from Sofia to Burgas will take around five hours, a significant improvement for summer travelers heading to the coast
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
Bulgaria's Mortality Rate Remains Highest in Europe