Bulgaria's accommodation: fewer guests in August, but revenue up 13.3%
Hotels and guesthouses took in 384.5 million euros in August. Guest numbers, overnight stays and occupancy fell, however – a pattern already seen in June and July.
Symbolic image · Photo: www.vacacionesbulgaria.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria's accommodation establishments earned significantly more in August 2026 despite receiving fewer guests. According to National Statistical Institute (NSI) data released on Monday, Oct. 12, revenue from overnight stays rose 13.3% year on year to 384.5 million euros. Foreign guests accounted for 270.5 million euros of that.
The number of guests, however, fell 0.8% to about 1.64 million: foreigners were down 2.2%, while Bulgarians rose 1%. Overnight stays totaled 6.29 million, about 2% fewer than a year earlier, Forbes Bulgaria reported; 4.02 million of them were by foreigners. Bed occupancy fell 1.3 percentage points to 56.5%.
Average revenue per overnight stay was 61.1 euros, compared with 52.9 euros in August 2025 – an increase of around 15.6%, according to Forbes Bulgaria's calculation. Foreign guests spent 78.7% of their nights in four- and five-star hotels, where occupancy was 72%. According to The Sofia Globe, the pattern of falling guest numbers and rising revenue was already evident in June and July.