Bulgaria sees sharp drop in German and Romanian tourists in June

Official statistics show that the number of foreign visitors to Bulgaria fell by 0.5% in June compared with the same month last year, with German arrivals down 15% and Romanian arrivals down 9%. The decline in German tourists is linked to the cancellation of charter flights from seven German cities, prompting many to choose alternative summer destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. Polish visitors increased by 21%, but the overall shortfall has left hotels in coastal resorts like Sunny Beach and Golden Sands with many empty rooms.

Hotelier representatives attribute the weak summer season also to Bulgaria’s recent adoption of the euro, inflationary pressures and the conflict in Iran. Odisey Spasov, president of the Bulgarian Association of Travel Agencies, said, "There is a decline… caused by several factors – the conflict in Iran, inflation, the switch to the euro." Dimitar Popov, president of the Bulgarian Association for Sustainable Tourism, warned that August will not compensate for the loss of foreign guests and that the trend could continue into the next year.