Bulgaria recorded a 16.5% year-on-year increase in tourist overnight stays booked through online platforms in the second quarter of 2026, more than three times the European Union average of 5.3%, according to Eurostat data.
Between April and June, travelers spent 258.8 million nights in short-term accommodations across the EU booked through Airbnb, Booking.com or Expedia. That figure was 13.1 million nights higher than in the second quarter of 2025 and 50.0 million above the level recorded in the same period of 2024, when growth stood at 23.9%.
In Bulgaria, 1,047,274 overnight stays were recorded in the second quarter of 2025, with the number rising by 16.5% a year later.
Bulgaria’s increase was among the stronger results in Southeast Europe. Greece posted an 18.3% rise, while Romania saw growth of 14.6%, putting all three countries in the double-digit range for overnight stays booked online, compared with the more moderate increase across the EU.
Eurostat’s figures cover short-term accommodation units offered through Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia Group, highlighting the growing role of online platforms in the selection and booking of such stays.
The largest volumes of online-booked overnight stays in Europe continued to be concentrated in traditionally strong tourism markets. The European total reached 258.8 million nights in the second quarter of 2026, 50.0 million more than in the corresponding period of 2024.
Bulgaria, Romania and Greece all posted double-digit growth while the European market as a whole expanded by 5.3%.