Sign In

Travel in
Bulgaria

Country Report

US$2,100
Add to cart

Executive Summary

Sep 2019
Bulgaria’s growing reputation and infrastructure development support travel sales

Bulgaria is becoming increasingly well-known at international level for its impressive travel and tourism offer. In particular, the country’s reputation for offering excellent value for money has led to its profile as an international tourism destination rising dramatically across Europe in recent years.

Online sales set to overtake offline sales in travel intermediaries

2019 saw offline sales still dominant in travel intermediaries. This was mainly due to the innate reluctance of most Bulgarians to engage with online payments, especially when dealing with a company that they have little or no prior experience with.

Low cost carriers remain on top in airlines

Low cost carriers continue to lead sales in airlines, with Hungary-based Wizz Air and Ireland-based player Ryanair operating by far the most extensive route networks of any airlines operating in the country. With Bulgaria positioned primarily as a destination that offers excellent value for money, low cost carriers are the natural choice for many inbound travellers.

Uber remains absent from Bulgaria due to regulatory hurdles

Ride sharing platform Uber has still not returned to Bulgaria after its departure from Sofia in October 2015. At the time of its withdrawal, the company had been operating in the Bulgarian capital for 10 troubled months.

Strong prospects for domestic and outbound travel, with inbound travel to continue booming

Bulgaria’s travel industry is poised for further strong growth over the forecast period, with buoyant inbound arrivals to be based on the country’s rising profile in key source markets in Europe, as well as rising interest from further afield. Notably, Russia and Ukraine and various Middle Eastern countries offer strong prospects for growth in arrivals as Bulgaria’s reputation as an affordable safe and very pleasant destination continue to spread outside of its current strongholds of other EU member states.

Want to find out more about this report?
Request more information
Why buy this report?

Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders. Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats. Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions.

Your Recently Viewed Reports
Frequently asked questions Our Definitions

Travel in Bulgaria

Samples: FAQs about samples

Delivery:

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.

Overview:

Discover the latest market trends and uncover sources of future market growth for the Travel industry in Bulgaria with research from Euromonitor's team of in-country analysts.

Find hidden opportunities in the most current research data available, understand competitive threats with our detailed market analysis, and plan your corporate strategy with our expert qualitative analysis and growth projections.

If you're in the Travel industry in Bulgaria, our research will save you time and money while empowering you to make informed, profitable decisions.

When you purchase this report, you also get the data and the content from these category reports in Bulgaria for free:

The Travel in Bulgaria market research report includes:

  • Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
  • Detailed segmentation
  • Historic volumes and values, company and brand market shares
  • Five year forecasts (of market share, market trends, market growth)
  • Robust and transparent market research methodology, conducted in-country

Our market research reports answer questions such as:

  • What is the market size of Travel in Bulgaria?
  • What are the major brands in Bulgaria?  

Why buy this report?

  • Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
  • Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
  • Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions

This industry report originates from Passport, our Travel And Tourism market research database.

Each report is delivered with the following components:
Report: PDF and Word
Market statistics: Excel workbook

Travel in Bulgaria

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Bulgaria’s growing reputation and infrastructure development support travel sales
Online sales set to overtake offline sales in travel intermediaries
Low cost carriers remain on top in airlines
Uber remains absent from Bulgaria due to regulatory hurdles
Strong prospects for domestic and outbound travel, with inbound travel to continue booming

SWOT

Summary 1 Destination Bulgaria: SWOT

MARKET DATA

Table 1 Annual Leave: Volume 2014-2019
Table 2 Travellers by Age: Number of People 2014-2019
Table 3 Seasonality: Number of People 2014-2019
Table 4 Leisure Outbound Demographics: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 5 Other Transport Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 6 Other Transport Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 7 Forecast Other Transport Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 8 Forecast Other Transport Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 9 Activities: Value 2014-2019
Table 10 Forecast Activities: Value 2019-2024

SOURCES

Summary 2 Research Sources

Airlines in Bulgaria

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Low cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair still the leading names in airlines
Favourable strategic location underpins growth in airlines
Growth in arrivals motivates the redevelopment of Bulgaria’s airports

CATEGORY DATA

Table 11 Airlines Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 12 Airlines Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 13 Airlines: Passengers Carried 2014-2019
Table 14 Airlines NBO Company Shares: % Value 2015-2019
Table 15 Low Cost Carriers Airlines Brands by Key Performance Indicators 2019
Table 16 Scheduled Airlines Brands by Key Performance Indicators 2019
Table 17 Forecast Airlines Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 18 Forecast Airlines Online Sales: Value 2019-2024

Car Rental (Destination) in Bulgaria

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Car rental remains underdeveloped in Bulgaria
Ride sharing apps remain banned, supporting potential growth in car rental
Unfavourable conditions for car rental likely to hinder growth

CATEGORY DATA

Table 19 Car Rental Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 20 Car Rental Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 21 Car Rental Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 22 Structure of Car Rental Market 2014-2019
Table 23 Car Rental NBO Company Shares: % Value 2015-2019
Table 24 Car Rental Brands by Key Performance Indicators 2019
Table 25 Forecast Car Rental Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 26 Forecast Car Rental Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 27 Forecast Car Rental Online Sales: Value 2019-2024

Lodging in Bulgaria

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Hotels continues to benefit from strong development
Growth in short-term rentals set to continue
Other lodging set to remain a small niche lodging category

CATEGORY DATA

Table 28 Lodging Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 29 Lodging Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 30 Hotels Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 31 Hotels Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 32 Other Lodging Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 33 Other Lodging Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 34 Lodging Outlets: Units 2014-2019
Table 35 Lodging: Number of Rooms 2014-2019
Table 36 Lodging by Incoming vs Domestic: % Value 2014-2019
Table 37 Hotels NBO Company Shares: % Value 2015-2019
Table 38 Hotel Brands by Key Performance Indicators 2019
Table 39 Forecast Lodging Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 40 Forecast Lodging Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 41 Forecast Hotels Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 42 Forecast Hotels Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 43 Forecast Other Lodging Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 44 Forecast Other Lodging Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 45 Forecast Lodging Outlets: Units 2019-2024

Online Travel Sales and Intermediaries in Bulgaria

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Online sales set to overtake offline sales in the near future
Local player Bohemia rivals the major international players
Strong online infrastructure and interest in technology to support sales

CATEGORY DATA

Table 46 Travel Intermediaries Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 47 Intermediaries Corporate Business Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 48 Intermediaries Leisure Online Sales: Value 2014-2019
Table 49 Travel Intermediaries NBO Company Shares: % Value 2015-2019
Table 50 Online Travel Sales to Residents: Value 2014-2019
Table 51 Total Mobile Travel Sales to Residents: Value 2014-2019
Table 52 Forecast Travel Intermediaries Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 53 Forecast Intermediaries Corporate Business Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 54 Forecast Intermediaries Leisure Online Sales: Value 2019-2024
Table 55 Forecast Online Travel Sales to Residents: Value 2019-2024
Table 56 Forecast Total Mobile Travel Sales to Residents: Value 2019-2024

Tourism Flows in Bulgaria

HEADLINES

PROSPECTS

Bulgaria’s travel industry poised to blossom, boosting inbound arrivals
Bulgaria benefits from its reputation for great value for money
Improving economic situation boosts demand for domestic tourism
Infrastructure investment to continue boosting Bulgaria’s attractiveness

CATEGORY DATA

Table 57 Inbound Arrivals: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 58 Inbound Arrivals by Country: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 59 Inbound City Arrivals 2014-2019
Table 60 Inbound Receipts: Value 2014-2019
Table 61 Leisure Inbound Demographics: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 62 Forecast Inbound Arrivals: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 63 Forecast Inbound Arrivals by Country: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 64 Forecast Inbound Receipts: Value 2019-2024
Table 65 Domestic Trips by Destination: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 66 Domestic Business Trips by Travel Mode: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 67 Domestic Leisure Trips by Travel Mode: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 68 Domestic Expenditure: Value 2014-2019
Table 69 Forecast Domestic Business Trips by Travel Mode: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 70 Forecast Domestic Leisure Trips by Travel Mode: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 71 Forecast Domestic Expenditure: Value 2019-2024
Table 72 Outbound Departures: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 73 Outbound Departures by Destination: Number of Trips 2014-2019
Table 74 Outbound Expenditure: Value 2014-2019
Table 75 Forecast Outbound Departures: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 76 Forecast Outbound Departures by Destination: Number of Trips 2019-2024
Table 77 Forecast Outbound Expenditure: Value 2019-2024