NSI: Visits by non-residents to Bulgaria in December 2023 up 3.1% y/y

In December 2023, the number of visits of non-residents to Bulgaria was 785 446, an increase of 3.1 per cent compared with December 2022, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on January 29.

The number of visits for holidays was up by 6.6 per cent compared with December 2022, “other purposes” (a category including trips for educational purposes or medical treatment) up by 2.3 per cent, while business trips were down by 0.7 per cent.

Transit passes through Bulgaria accounted for 36.5 per cent of all visits by non-residents to Bulgaria in December last year, the NSI said.

Visits by EU citizens accounted for 52.8 per cent of the total, the largest being visitors from Romania (38.2 per cent) and Greece (30.4 per cent).

Visits by non-residents in the category “other European countries” accounted for 40.1 per cent of the total.

In this category, the largest number of visits was from Türkiye (161 955, or 51.5 per cent)

Most visits to Bulgaria were from Türkiye, Romania (158 279), Greece (126 095), Ukraine (52 279), Serbia (42 285), Germany (34 468), Republic of North Macedonia (34 265), Italy (22 158), the United Kingdom (15 741) and Austria (12 815).

Тhe predominant share of the visits was “other purposes”, 57.3 per cent, followed by trips for holidays, 29 per cent, and business trips, 13.7 per cent, the NSI said.

(Photo: Lance Nelson of Bansko App)

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