Bulgarian citizens traveled abroad 848,800 times in April 2026, representing an 8.9% increase compared to the same month last year. According to final data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) released today, an increase in travel was recorded across all monitored categories. During this period, Bulgarians primarily preferred Turkey, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and North Macedonia as their destinations.
Inbound tourism to the country in April 2026 reached 795,800 visits from foreign citizens, which is 0.2% less compared to the same period last year. However, leisure and excursion travel saw a 3.5% increase, while travel for other purposes and business purposes recorded declines of 2.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Transit crossings through Bulgaria in April accounted for 30.9% of all foreign visits.
The structure of the top five most popular countries among leading destinations for foreigners in Bulgaria remains stable. The largest number of guests arrived from Turkey, followed by Romania, Greece, Serbia, and Germany. A comparison between April and March shows that Bulgarians traveled more intensively abroad in April, whereas in March, inbound tourism exceeded outbound tourism.
In March 2026, visits by foreign citizens to Bulgaria totaled 789,300, a 2.8% increase compared to March 2025. During this period, increases of 8% for business travel and 5% for leisure and excursion travel were noted, while travel for other purposes decreased by 0.1%. Transit crossings through the country in March accounted for 31.5% of the total number of foreign citizen visits.
Indicators for Bulgarian citizens abroad in March 2026 recorded 724,600 trips, which is 2% less than in March 2025. Among them, a 5.4% decline was registered in travel for other purposes, while business travel and leisure/excursion travel increased by 3.1% and 0.5%, respectively. In March, the leading destinations for Bulgarians were the same as in April (Turkey, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and North Macedonia), but with lower volumes, with Germany taking fifth place.