site.btaSeptember Revenue from Overnight Stays in Bulgaria Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels

Revenue from overnight stays in Bulgaria in September surpassed pre-pandemic levels, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said here on Monday.

In September 2024, the revenue increased by 14.8% compared to a year earlier, reaching BGN 249.7 million, with BGN 157.1 million coming from foreign visitors and BGN 92.6 million from Bulgarian citizens, the NSI reported. In September 2019, the revenue was BGN 166.7 million, marking a 1.5% increase from a year earlier as revenue from Bulgarian citizens rose by 13.8%, while revenue from foreign visitors decreased by 1.8%.

Total bed occupancy in accommodation establishments reached 34.1% in September 2024, up by 2.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Bed occupancy was highest in 4- and 5-star accommodation establishments at 44.9%, followed by 3-star establishments at 27.3%, and 1- and 2-star establishments at 19.3%.

The number of overnight stays in September 2024 increased by 1.4% compared to September 2023, reaching 923,600. An increase was observed for both foreign visitors (by 2.6%) and Bulgarian citizens (by 0.4%). Bulgarian guests numbered 491,600, with an average of 2.5 nights spent, while foreign visitors totalled 432,000, averaging 4.2 nights spent, with 78.4% staying in 4- and 5-star accommodation establishments.