From China through the Baltics to the Eastern Rhodopes - Bulgarians are investing in new experiences

published on 3/12/25 2:55 PM

Photo: pixabay

Bulgarians are traveling more and more actively and are spending more money on travel - both to nearby and distant destinations. Last year, they made about 9 million trips abroad, with neighbouring Turkey, Greece, Romania and Serbia being the most popular. According to the latest data from the National Statistical Institute, 2025 started strongly - in January alone, nearly 600,000 Bulgarians traveled abroad, which is over 11% more than the same period in 2024. Apparently, neither inflation and rising prices, nor the tense political situation in the country and worldwide are able to deter Bulgarians from the desire to travel and live for the moment. ‎

Registrations for spring-summer tourist programs are extremely intense, according to a survey by Radio Bulgaria during the Vacation and Spa Expo tourist exchange in Sofia (March 9-11). Here is the comment of Vladislav Karapanov, a representative of one of the largest tour operator agencies on the Bulgarian market:

"We have a fairly serious growth in bookings, perhaps around 20% for all our destinations. That is why we are also increasing the number of dates for each of them. For example, last year we launched the Baltic program for the first time and had 6-7 dates for this destination. We filled them all. People were very happy. And this year we increased the number of our dates for the Baltic states. And we have destinations that are fully booked until September. Demand for China is quite strong at the moment. This year we already have 7 programs for China, i.e. we have added 5 new ones compared to last year. It turns out that many people in Bulgaria can afford to allocate more funds for more distant destinations.

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Our packages for Europe are cheaper. For example, we have 6 programs for Italy, which are extremely popular. Bulgarians want to see new places, to rest after working hard all year, to relax somewhere and they are ready to spend money, and perhaps some people even take out a loan to travel, i.e. Bulgarians like to live for the moment."

However, most of our compatriots will choose Bulgaria for their vacation in the coming months. Reservations are going very well for spa resorts such as Velingrad, Hisarya, Kyustendil, and also Pavel Banya, which in recent years has acquired an elite hotel base and modern spa centers.

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Adventure tourism among the Bulgarian nature is also gaining momentum, often combined with exploring the village life, culinary experiences, wine tastings, etc. "The conventional type of booking tourist who would stay in a high-class hotel does not come to us," says Mihaela Kircheva, who has been welcoming guests for years in the village of Tankovo on the shores of the Studen Kladenets dam in the Eastern Rhodopes:

"People who are "obsessed" with the experience come. For example, in the guest houses where they stay, there is often no separate sanitary facility, we often sleep in huts or tents. For us, the primary thing is the experience and learning something new, creating new contacts. And people are looking for such adventures, or the so-called "outdoor activities". We are talking about hiking, cycling, etc. Kayaks are very popular, because this is perhaps the easiest way for people to get out of their comfort zone. And from this point of view, the adventurous tourists in Bulgaria are broad-minded and bohemian," concludes Mihaela Kircheva.