Bulgarian Outbound Travel Rises as Foreign Visits Decline
Bulgarian citizens increased travel abroad by 3.5 percent in August 2026, while foreign visits to Bulgaria dropped by 2.1 percent.
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography reported that Bulgarian citizens increased their travel abroad by 3.5 percent year-on-year in August 2026, recording 1,116,200 trips. Greece and Turkey emerged as the most popular destinations, accounting for 321,600 and 288,500 visits respectively.
In contrast, foreign visits to Bulgaria declined by 2.1 percent to 2,221,200. Holiday and excursion arrivals from non-residents saw a sharper drop of 3.9 percent, falling to 1,153,036. Transit crossings remained a significant component of inbound travel, representing nearly 38 percent of all foreign visits.
Romanian citizens were the most frequent visitors to Bulgaria with 419,200 visits. While EU citizens comprised 58.9 percent of all foreign arrivals, Turkey served as the leading source of visitors from non-EU European countries.
