Bulgarians traveled more in June than in the same month last year, show by data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The total travels are 717.1 thousand, or 5.9% more than last June. The largest travel increase is to Turkey – 15.4%, Romania – by 7.8%, Greece – by 6.2%, Germany by 5.1%, Austria by 3%, Northern Macedonia by 2.9%, Italy by 2.7%, Spain – by 1.8%, and others.
At the same time, the travels of Bulgarian citizens are decreasing to the following countries: to Belgium – by 7.9%, Serbia – by 1.9%, Russia – by 0.8%.
The largest share of the total number of trips is formed by travel with other purposes (for visiting, training, cultural and sporting events) – 41.6%, followed by recreation and excursion – 35.6%, and 22.8%
In June, the visits by foreigners to Bulgaria were 1.537 million, or 0.9% less than in June 2018. There was also a decrease in the business trips – by 4.5%, and in the “rest and tourism” trips – by 2.5%, whereas those with the purpose of “others” increased by 3%. Transit passages across the country are 22.6% of all visits by foreigners to Bulgaria.
The share of the European Union citizens ff the total number of foreigners who visited Bulgaria in June 2019 was 55.9%, or 5.4% less than in the same month of the previous year. Visits by citizens from Ireland increased by 11.1%, Spain by 5.1%, the United Kingdom by 4.3%, Hungary by 0.7%, and others.
At the same time, visits of citizens from Poland (by 13.6%), Germany (by 8.9%), France (by 7%), Romania (by 3.7%), Greece (by 3.2%) are decreasing.
The visits of citizens of the group “Other European countries” increased by 4.6%, with the largest increase of the visits of citizens from Ukraine – by 33.2%.
In June 2019 the share of the excursion visits was 50.1%, followed by visits for other purposes – 36.0%, and for official purposes – 13.9%.
The largest number of visits to Bulgaria in June 2019 came from Romania – 252.0 thousand, Greece – 161.2 thousand, Turkey – 140.8 thousand, Germany – 123.1 thousand, Ukraine – 123.1 thousand, Russian Federation – 108.5 thousand, the United Kingdom – 70.6 thousand, Poland – 64.7 thousand, Serbia – 59.5 thousand, the Republic of North Macedonia – 43.1 thousand.