site.btaTrips by Bulgarians Abroad Rise Nearly 9% in May, Foreign Visits to Bulgaria Also Up

In May 2025, Bulgarian citizens made 878,600 trips abroad - an increase of 8.7% compared to May 2024, according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI). Growth was recorded across all major travel purposes, including tourism, business, and other personal reasons. Turkiye was the top destinations for Bulgarians' trips abroad while Romania was the top country of origin of incoming foreign tourists in Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, visits to Bulgaria by foreign nationals reached 997,600 - up 0.5% year-on-year. The number of tourists visiting for holidays and excursions rose by 8%, and business trips increased by 2%. Visits for other purposes declined by 5.8%. Transit travelers made up 30% of all foreign entries.

Top destinations for Bulgarians included Turkiye (241,900), Greece (191,400), and Romania (80,300). Bulgaria welcomed the highest number of visitors from Romania (245,100), Turkiye (188,100), and Greece (137,000).