The number of foreign visitors to Bulgaria dropped by 10.1 per cent during the peak period of August 2009, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (NSI), as reported by Dnevnik daily on September 29 2009.

The sharpest decline was observed among tourists from Malta with a 91 per cent fall, followed by Swedes with 72.5 per cent, Danes with 65 per cent, Slovaks more than a 60 per cent drop and Finnish visitors with a 51 per cent fall. Meanwhile, non-European Union tourists from Turkey also shrank by 60 per cent, followed by Norwegians with 36 per cent and Serbs with 33.5 per cent.

Most visitors this summer came from Germany, accounting for 175 000 people, followed by Romania with 81 400, Poland 78 600 and the Czech Republic with 67 600. Among foreigners transiting the country, the Romanians came top with 77 000, followed by Turks, 76 500, Germans 48 000 and Austrians with 23 500.

In the midst of this overall declining picture, tourists from some nations actually increased in number, in particular from Spain, where the rise was substantial, according to NSI, accounting for more than 96 per cent, followed by Italians with 61 per cent, Greeks with 60 per cent,  French with 52 per cent and Slovenians with 34 per cent. Those figures, however, did not help to offset the general decline.

The number of Bulgarian holidaymakers also fell 7.7 per cent less in August 2009 as opposed to corresponding figures from August last year. Most of the travelling was down to business, 46.5 per cent, with holidays featuring coming second with 28.5 per cent. Most Bulgarians travelled to neighbouring countries, Greece, Serbia, Romania and Turkey.