site.btaNational Board of Tourism: Summer 2025 Forecast

The National Board of Tourism recently conducted a survey of its members and partners, and the expectations for the season are positive. There is a trend towards development, towards a greater number of tourists, towards increased interest in Bulgaria, said in an interview with BTA Polina Karastoyanova, Executive Director of the National Tourism Board Association. She added that all the necessary prerequisites are in place - in terms of climate, preparation on the part of investors and hotel and tourist resort managers.

According to her, there are two key macro factors that have a direct impact on the tourism industry - Bulgaria's full admission to Schengen, and the process of joining the eurozone. Schengen has a clear and definite impact for Bulgaria in terms of image positioning, travel comfort, and a sense of calm in tourists and all travellers to Bulgaria, she said.

The Bulgarian tourism sector is ready for the introduction of the euro on January 1, 2026, which will generate economic, financial and investment benefits for Bulgaria. For the tourism industry, Schengen and the euro area are strategic decisions with an unconditional positive effect, Karastoyanova summarized.

Among the problems ahead of the summer season, she highlighted the delayed repairs on major road arteries, such as the Trakia and Hemus motorways.

A second serious problem is shortage of staff in tourism and in particular the import of workers from third countries.

“We need to find an optimally fast and secure model, so that the procedure for processing documents solves the existing problem and does not hinder people who have expressed their willingness and readiness to work in Bulgaria,” Karastoyanova said.

The NBT expects foreign tourist arrivals in Bulgaria to exceed 13 million and even approach 14 million overall in 2025, which will be around 5% more than the previous year with a significant contribution to this growth in the summer season.