FLOW OF FOREIGN TOURISTS TO MOLDOVA GREW 21% LAST YEAR – STATISTICS BUREAU

In 2022, Moldova was visited by 29 thousand foreigners who travelled via tourism agencies and operators, or almost 21% more than the year before, the National Statistics Bureau reported.

According to its data, an absolute majority of the foreigners chose the republic for recreation and entertainment - 26.5 thousand (+18.5%). The number of foreigners who visited Moldova for medical and sanatorium treatment has more than tripled, but their number remains insignificant - about 300 people. At the same time, the number of people who came to Moldova on business was only 62.8% of the 2021 level - about 900 people.

Moldovan tourism operators sent 324,600 Moldovan tourists abroad last year, a half more than a year earlier. Almost all of them went on vacation - 323.5 thousand (+49.4%). More than half of Moldovans chose Turkey for this - 52% (+3.9%). The flow of tourists to Bulgaria marked 16.3% (-0.6%), to Egypt - 10.1% (-12.5%), to Greece - 4.3% (+1.3%).

As a result of the growth in the services provided, the income of tour operators and travel agencies also increased significantly - by 41.2%, reaching 3.3 billion lei ($176.4 million).