Bulgarian trips abroad climb 2.5% Y/Y in Feb 2011

dnevnik.bg, 29.03.2011, 10:46 AM

The number of Bulgarians traveling abroad increased by 2.5% on an annual basis to 245,000 in February 2011, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) reported on Monday.

The highest annual increase, of 30%, was registered in travels to Latvia, but the overall number of visits to the country was not significant. Among the most favoured destinations were also Austria and Romania, with trips to these countries rising by 26% and 18%, respectively.

The report also revealed that 38% of Bulgarians travelled for tourism, 35% for business and 26% to visit friends and relatives. Bulgarians curtailed trips abroad by 20% in 2010, which affected significantly some of the most frequented destinations, including Greece, Romania and the western European countries.

According to local tour agencies, the number of travels abroad for both business and holiday purposes will see a considerable increase this spring.