The National Statistical Institute (NSI) reports a significant increase in expenditure for personal trips during the second quarter of 2026. The total average expenditure in the country rose by 20.82 percent compared to the previous quarter, with food expenses marking a growth of 20.22 percent and accommodation costs climbing by 35.09 percent.
For trips abroad, the average expenditure increased by 16.09 percent, while general expenses grew by 29.49 percent and accommodation costs by 29.16 percent. In the second quarter of the current year, the average expenditure per person for personal purposes was 190.30 euros domestically and 480.63 euros abroad. For comparison, in the first quarter, these figures were 157.51 euros and 414.01 euros, respectively, while a year earlier they stood at 151.77 euros and 438.97 euros.
Professional trips during the period under review cost an average of 171.75 euros domestically and 685.47 euros abroad. The NSI analysis shows that food accounts for the largest share of tourists' budgets – 39.9 percent for trips within Bulgaria and 34.8 percent for those outside the country.
A total of 1.3 million Bulgarian citizens took tourist trips during the second quarter, which is an increase of 4.4 percent compared to the same period in 2025. The share of those who traveled only within the country was 67.1 percent, 26.9 percent visited only abroad, and 6 percent combined both destinations. The main purpose for the majority of tourists remains vacations and excursions – 56.7 percent for domestic trips and 75.2 percent for trips abroad.