Foreign Visits to Bulgaria Rise 4.5% in February, Israeli Visitors Top 18,000

Jerusalem, 17 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – Trips by Bulgarian citizens abroad reached 585,800 in February 2026, an increase of 8.8% compared with February 2025, according to final data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI). An increase was recorded across all monitored travel purposes.

NSI data show that in February 2025, trips by Bulgarians abroad stood at 538,200, representing a 7.8% increase year-on-year from February 2024.

In February 2026, visits by foreign citizens to Bulgaria totalled 753,200, up 4.5% compared with the same month a year earlier. An increase was recorded across all monitored travel purposes.

Transit crossings through Bulgaria accounted for 28.4%, or 214,200, of all visits by foreign citizens to the country. By comparison, foreign visits to Bulgaria totalled 720,600 in February 2025, an increase of 3.1%, year-on-year.

The largest number of trips by Bulgarian citizens in February 2026 were to Turkiye, at 134,700, followed by Greece (122,000), Romania (68,900), Serbia (46,600), Germany (33,400), Austria (26,700), North Macedonia (24,300), Italy (21,700), Spain (14,200) and France (14,000).

The largest number of visits to Bulgaria were made by citizens of Romania, at 181,700, followed by Turkiye (153,800), Greece (101,400), Serbia (50,000), North Macedonia (26,600), Germany (25,700), the United Kingdom (24,200), Italy (19,000), Ukraine (18,800) and Israel (18,400).