There were 9.3 million foreign tourist visits to Bulgaria in 2019, about 0.4 per cent higher than in 2018, the Ministry of Tourism said on January 28, citing National Statistical Institute (NSI) figures.
The largest number of foreign tourist visits to Bulgaria in 2019 came from Romania, according to these figures, adding up to 1.287 million.
In second place were Greeks, more than 1.168 million, up by 4.7 per cent compared with 2018.
Germany was in third place with more than 761 000 visits, the ministry said.
In fourth place was Turkey, 649 000 visits, followed by the Republic of North Macedonia, 554 200 visits.
Visits from Ukraine increased by 24 percent, reaching 471 100 in 2019, while visits from the UK also saw a significant increase, 20.7 per cent, to 470 000 in 2019.
There were more than 450 000 visits from Russia, 421 000 from Poland, 414 000 from Serbia, according to the NSI.
Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova said that she was extremely pleased that 2019 was the latest year that ended with a positive result in tourism and showed the sustainability of the industry.
“In spite of the many gloomy forecasts at the beginning of the year, the great competition for tourists in the region, despite the difficulties on the international scale in the second half of 2019, caused by the bankruptcy of the oldest world tour operator, Bulgaria showed that with hard work and quality of services, it remains a desirable tourist destination for millions of foreign and Bulgarian tourists,” Angelkova said.