Tourist arrivals in Bulgaria rose by 2.4% year-on-year to an eight-month high of 1,021.8 thousand in May 2026, rebounding from a 1.4% decline in the previous month.
Holiday and leisure travel accounted for the largest share of arrivals at 41.8%, followed by visits for other purposes (43.9%), while business and professional trips represented 14.2%.
Visitors from European Union countries totaled 618.7 thousand, or 60.5% of all arrivals, with Romania (41.2%), Greece (23.7%), and Germany (10.4%) remaining the leading source markets.
Tourists from other European countries accounted for 33.5% of arrivals, led by Turkey (55.8%) and Serbia (13.9%).
Elsewhere, visitors from other countries made up 1.5% of the total, with Israel contributing 68.3% of that segment.
Transit travelers passing through Bulgaria reached 307.9 thousand, representing 30.1% of all non-resident visits during the month.