In October, Bulgarians predominantly traveled to neighboring Turkey and Greece, while the largest groups of foreign visitors to Bulgaria came from Romania and Turkey, as reported by the National Statistical Institute (NSI). Bulgarian citizens made 720.9 thousand trips abroad during the month, marking a 3.9% increase compared to October last year. The most significant growth was seen in vacation and excursion trips, which rose by 7.4%, followed by a 4.8% increase in business trips and a slight 0.3% rise in trips for other purposes, including visits, training, and attendance at cultural or sports events.
Turkey led as the top destination for Bulgarian travelers, with 185.5 thousand trips, followed by Greece with 169.2 thousand and Serbia with 62.5 thousand. Other popular destinations included Romania, Germany, North Macedonia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Austria, and Spain. Travel for other purposes accounted for the largest proportion of trips abroad (40.8%), with leisure and excursions comprising 39%, and business trips making up 20.2%.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria welcomed 953.1 thousand foreign visitors in October, reflecting a 6% increase compared to the same period in 2022. The largest surge was in leisure and excursion visits, which grew by 12.9%. Business visits increased by 4.7%, while visits for other purposes, including transits, rose by 1.6%. Transit travelers accounted for 36.5% of all foreign visitors, amounting to 347.5 thousand.
Half of the foreign visitors were from EU member states, totaling 476.7 thousand. Romanians made up the largest group from the EU with 37.9%, followed by Greek visitors at 22.6%, and Germans at 12.2%. Non-EU European visitors constituted 40.8% of total foreign arrivals, led by Turkish nationals with 180.4 thousand visits, representing 46.4% of this group.
Overall, the most significant groups of foreign visitors to Bulgaria were from Romania (180.9 thousand) and Turkey (180.4 thousand), with over 100 thousand visits from Greece. Ukrainians accounted for 80.4 thousand visits, and other notable groups included Germans, Serbs, Macedonians, Poles, British, and Italians. Visits for other purposes were the most common at 47.5%, followed by leisure and excursions at 37.4%, and business visits at 15.1%.
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