site.btaRevenue from Overnight Stays in Bulgaria Up 15.4% in July Y/Y

The revenue from overnight stays in Bulgaria amounted to BGN 524,6 million in July, up by 15.4% from the same month of 2023, show data released by the National Statitstical Institute on Thursday. The revenue reached BGN 158 million from Bulgarian citizens and BGN 366,6 million from foreign tourists. The revenue from overnight stays exceeded the pre-pandemic level of 2019, when the revenue stood at BGN 345.8 million.

The number of overnight stays in July 2024 increased by 0.7%, compared to the same month in 2023 and reached 1.5 million, with an increase of 3.6% for foreign citizens and a decrease of 2.7% for Bulgarian citizens. The number of overnight stays of Bulgarian citizens was 656.8 thousand and they spent  3.2 nights on average. Foreigners accounted for 794.3 thousand with an average of 4.8 overnight stays, 74.6% of them staying in 4-and-5-star accommodation. There was a reduction in the number of overnight stays of foreigners compared to 2019, when they spent an average of 5.4 nights in Bulgaria.

In July 2024, there were 3,698 accommodation establishments functioning in Bulgaria, each with at least ten beds. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the number of accommodation establishments and beds in them remained at the same level. In July 2019, there were 3,391 accommodation establishments functioning in the country, with a total of 141.8 thousand rooms and 324.4 thousand beds.

The total occupancy rate of bed-places in July 2024 was 57.4%, up 1.4% year-on-year. The highest occupancy rate was in 4- and 5-star accommodation – 72.8%, followed by 3-star - 52%, and 1- and 2-star - 35.2%. By comparison, in July 2019 the total occupancy was 60%.