site.btaNumber of Visits to Museums in Bulgaria Continued to Grow in 2024, NSI Data

The number of visits to museums in Bulgaria continued to grow in 2024 on an annual basis, but did not reach 2019 levels, which was a good year for tourism, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said Friday.

Visits to museums in 2024 were 5,070,000 and increased by 2.1% compared to 2023. Some 13.5% of visits (682,000) were made on days with free entry. An increase of 100,000, or 10.1%, in visits by foreign nationals to museums was also registered compared to the previous year.

The NSI report shows that in 2023, visits to museums were 4,965,000 and compared to 2022 they were 24.1% more. On days with free entry, 15.9% of visits were made. In 2023, there was also a 56.4% increase in visits by foreigners to museums compared to the previous year. In 2019, the NSI reference shows that visits to museums were 5,355,000 with an increase of 5.3% compared to 2018, with approximately one-fifth of these (1,027,000) being made on free entry days. In 2019, there was a decrease of 20,000 (1.6%) in visits by foreigners to museums compared to the previous year. 

As of the end of 2024, there were 188 stand-alone museums registered under the Cultural Heritage Act in this country, of which 101 were general museums and 87 were specialized museums (including art galleries). In 2023 there were 189 independent museums in Bulgaria, of which 101 were general and 88 were specialized, according to the NSI.