Foreign visits to Bulgaria fell 4.1% in September 2026 from a year earlier, to 1,251,900, according to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute. The drop in August was smaller: 2,221,200 visits, or 2.1% fewer than a year before.
Trips for other purposes fell the most, by 6.3%. Visits for holidays and short tours were down 3.1%. Only business trips rose, by 0.3%. Transit travellers made up 31.2% of all visits.
Most visitors came from Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Greece and Germany.
Bulgarians travelled abroad more. They made 1,031,700 trips in September, 2.7% more than in September 2025, with growth for all tracked purposes. In August they made 1,116,200 trips, or 3.5% more than in August 2025.
Bulgarians most often went to Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania and Germany.