Polish visitors top Bulgarian seaside while Croatia faces tourism slump
Bulgaria's tourism association reported a 9% decline in foreign arrivals for the summer of 2026, with Polish tourists now the most frequent guests on the Black Sea coast, followed by the United Kingdom. Germany fell to fourth place, overtaken by the Czech Republic. The association highlighted weak air connectivity and last‑minute bookings driven by geopolitical instability as key challenges, and called for stronger national marketing and state support for flights.
In Croatia, tourist arrivals in June 2025 fell by about 7% and overnight stays dropped 6% compared with the previous year. The sharpest decline came from Germany, where visitor numbers dropped roughly 36% and nights spent fell about 28%. Numbers from Poland and the Czech Republic remained stable. Croatia's minister of sport and tourism noted a stronger May performance and said the first half of the year should be viewed in context, while other observers warned of broader revenue impacts.
Both reports underline shifting tourist source markets in the region and the pressure on coastal destinations to adapt to changing visitor patterns.