[caption id="attachment_2073" align="alignleft" width="990"] Nessebar, Bulgaria[/caption] Latest data from Bulgaria's National Statistical Institute (NSI) reveals that Bulgarian and foreign tourists spent a total of 2.4 million nights in tourist accommodation establishments in the country between June and June. July 2023. Based on these figures, the country saw a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2019, largely due to Bulgarian tourists. However, the total number of overnight stays by Bulgarian and foreign tourists remains 8% below pre-pandemic levels. The data also shows that the number of registered Bulgarian tourists exceeded 1.1 million between June and July 2023, an increase of 4% compared to last year. This also reflects a 28.6% increase compared to 2019. On the other hand, INS noted that foreign tourist registrations reached nearly 1.3 million between June and July 2023, an increase of 20% over the same period in 2022. The same source emphasized that the recovery of tourist flows from abroad amounted to 88% in the period June to July 2023, which implies that the number of tourists from abroad is 12% lower. % compared to pre-pandemic levels. According to NSI data, the following markets registered the most tourists in Bulgaria during the period of June-July 2023:

• Romania – 348,000
• Poland – 144,000
• Germany – 98,000
• Czech Republic – 75,000
• United Kingdom – 68,000
• Israel – 54,000

As INS explains, comparing these numbers with those recorded in 2019, tourist arrivals from Romania and the Czech Republic exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The Polish market has also almost completely returned to pre-pandemic levels. Even as the recovery in German and UK markets is progressing compared to last summer, results have not yet caught up with 2019.

The reported growth for the period June-July 2023 compared to the same period of 2022, according to official data of NSI, is Bulgaria nearly four per cent, Romania nearly ten per cent, Poland – nearly 23 per cent growth, Germany nearly eight per cent growth, Czech Republic nearly 13 per cent growth, Great Britain nearly eight per cent growth. -- Bulgarian National Institute of Statistics

A report published in July 2023 by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts that by 2033, Bulgaria's travel and tourism industry will experience significant growth, contributing 10% for this country's economy. The study also predicts that Bulgaria's travel and tourism industry will experience a significant recovery, reaching more than 75% of its 2019 peak by 2023.