Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria declined by 2.1% year-on-year to 2,221.2 thousand in August 2026, following a 1.2% decrease in the previous month. Leisure travel, including recreation and excursions, remained the dominant purpose of visit, accounting for 51.9% of all trips, followed by other purposes (43.2%) and business travel (4.9%).
Visitors from European Union member states totaled 1,307.3 thousand, or 58.9% of all arrivals. Romania was the leading source market with 419.2 thousand visitors (32.1% of EU arrivals), followed by Germany (16.2%) and Poland (8.5%).
Arrivals from other European countries reached 741.4 thousand, representing 33.4% of total visits to Bulgaria. Turkey accounted for the largest share in this group with 346.5 thousand visitors (46.7%), followed by Ukraine with 23.5%.
Visitors from non-European countries made up 2.1% of total arrivals, with Israel dominating this segment and contributing 88.9%. In addition, transit travelers passing through Bulgaria numbered 840.6 thousand, or 37.8% of all visits by foreign citizens to the country.
