Bulgarians Plan to Travel more in 2019

Bulgarians plan to travel more in 2019, which is an increase of 8% compared to 2018. According to this year's Masterindex poll, 66% of respondents plan to travel outside the country.

It also reveals the reasons why Bulgarian cardholders travel the most - 50% of them travel for holidays, 15% for work, and 10% of them for family or friends visits - a trend that continues from the past year. Most often Bulgarians use payment cards for shopping (60%) and accommodation (59%).

Many of the payments made with a card abroad are for gifts to family and friends (48%) and visits to dining establishments (46%). For entertainment, cultural sights, clubs and more. Bulgarians spend 27% of their budget on card payments.

Main reasons for traveling

According to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), Bulgarians made 6 698 526 trips abroad in 2018. The most preferred destination is Greece (1 402 560 trips), followed by Romania (523 058) and Germany (422 268). Greece is the most preferred destination not only for holidays but also for work. It is followed by Romania, Turkey, Northern Macedonia and Serbia for the same purposes.

Preferred methods of payment abroad

Bulgarians do not rely heavily on cash payments when traveling abroad, the survey shows. Cash is the preferred payment method among only 33% of the population, and in Macedonia and Serbia the percentage is almost double - 57% and 60% respectively. When it comes to cash or card payment preferences, 80% of respondents believe that the main advantage of card payment is convenience, and 37% prefer not to take cash when traveling. 36% of Bulgarians who use both methods of payment when traveling, prefer not to take cash.

They identify...

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