In 2025, Bulgaria had its strongest winter season ever

The country is among the leading EU countries in terms of growth in overnight stays for the first quarter of 2025, according to Eurostat data

For the period January-April 2025, the total number of tourist registrations in accommodation establishments with 10 or more beds exceeded 2 million, with nearly 4.5 million overnight stays, according to NSI data. The growth in tourist numbers compared to January-April 2024 was 6.4%, and the growth in overnight stays was 4.5%. 

According to NSI data, for the period January-April 2025, there was a 23.7% increase in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019.

According to Eurostat data, the growth in overnight stays for the period January-March 2025 compared to the period January-March 2024 is 3.9%, which ranks Bulgaria among the top 10 destinations in terms of growth in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2024.

Not only growth but also the number of overnight stays is important for assessing tourism development. In terms of the number of overnight stays for the first quarter of 2025, our country is ahead of a number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe that are developing ski tourism, cultural tourism, and other types of tourism. Eurostat data for the period January-March 2025 are as follows: Bulgaria with 3.4 million overnight stays, Slovakia with nearly 3.2 million overnight stays, Serbia with 2.5 million overnight stays, Croatia – nearly 2.4 million overnight stays, Albania – 751,000 overnight stays, North Macedonia – 314,000 overnight stays, Montenegro – 289,000 overnight stays.