Successful Summer Season in Burgas: Analyses and Challenges

The summer tourist season in Burgas region this year was deemed successful, according to the final data covering the period from May to September. The analysis, prepared by the Burgas Regional Tourist Chamber (BRTC), reveals a nuanced picture of the sector's recovery in a dynamically evolving environment.

At Burgas Airport, a key factor for the tourist flow, a 3% increase was recorded in the number of passengers welcomed. This result neutralizes the registered decline from the previous year and returns the airport to the levels of 2023. 894,000 passengers were served through charter programs, which demonstrates the viability of this segment of the tourism business.

Despite this positive trend, the BRTC notes that the lag compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019 remains significant – 37%. This represents about 520,000 fewer passengers. The Chamber emphasizes the key reason for this difference – the lack of flights from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Before the pandemic, these markets formed nearly 300,000 passengers, which highlights their importance for the tourist flow in the region. Declines were also recorded from some other key markets, such as the UK, Germany, Israel, Czech Republic, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, and Norway. Nevertheless, the Burgas Tourist Chamber reports a stabilization of air traffic and a recovery of organized charter tourism, which is a signal of the sector's revival.

One of the most interesting aspects of the analysis is the change in the leadership position of the markets. Poland is displacing the UK as the largest market for the region this summer. The two countries together account for 44% of the traffic at Burgas Airport. The Polish market demonstrates a 3% increase and returns to the levels of 2019. At the same time, the British market reports a 5% decline, which is attributed to the cancelled program of "Balkan Holidays" at the beginning of the season. Partial compensation has been achieved through the increase in flights of "Jet2 Holidays".

Czech Republic and Germany maintain the third and fourth positions by volume. The German market records the most serious growth of 51% compared to the previous year, exceeding 100,000 passengers welcomed. This is the best result since the pandemic. Israel and Slovakia also report positive results, with respective increases of 21 and 10%.

The Scandinavian markets show a more negative trend, with declines between 4 and 39 percentage points. The largest decrease was registered in Sweden and Finland, while Denmark and Norway manage to maintain their volumes close to those of last year. Minor fluctuations are observed in the smaller markets. Bulgaria and Latvia record growth, respectively of 20 and 22%, while Ireland maintains stable levels.

According to the data of the National Statistical Institute, cited by the BRTC, the bed base in Burgas region in July and August 2025 shows an increase of 7% compared to the previous year and an impressive 13% compared to 2019. The realized overnight stays for the period May - August reach 8.4 million, which is 3% more than the previous year's figure and on the level of 2019. Revenue from overnight stays demonstrates significant growth, reaching 837 million leva – a 20% increase compared to last year and a remarkable 78% compared to 2019. The average occupancy of accommodation places is 56%, which is below the levels of 2024 and 2019. The average stay remains unchanged – 4.9 days.

The BRTC analysis draws attention to the change in the ratio between foreign and Bulgarian tourists. In 2025, a trend of 70% foreign tourists and 30% Bulgarian tourists is observed, compared to 80 to 20% before the pandemic. Overnight stays of foreigners are 5% more compared to 2024, but still mark a 10% decline compared to 2019. Bulgarian tourists record a 2% decline on an annual basis, but a 37% increase compared to the pre-pandemic year. The BRTC emphasizes that the favorable climatic conditions during the season, especially the good occupancy in June and the results in September, have contributed to the success. The trends in the markets of Romania, Ukraine, and Turkey are particularly positive, where there is movement, probably as a result of the eased visa regime for Turkish citizens and Bulgaria's membership in Schengen.

Along with the positive trends, challenges remain for the tourism sector. The BRTC points to the shortage of staff, high costs, the short season, and unfair practices as the main obstacles. The organization notes that the growth in tourism revenues is mainly due to increased prices, not higher occupancy, which raises questions about profitability. The Burgas Regional Tourist Chamber defines the summer season 2025 as successful, but warns that fully reaching pre-pandemic levels will require more time and targeted work to improve the competitiveness of the South Black Sea coast.