Survey Reveals Many Bulgarians Won’t Be Taking Summer Breaks This Year

A quarter of Bulgarians do not even think about going on summer vacation this year, while more than a third say they will not take time off or cannot afford to, according to the latest independent "face-to-face" survey by the new polling agency "Myara," conducted from May 8 to 16. These findings highlight a divide: those who are elderly, from smaller towns, or in vulnerable groups are much more likely to skip vacations altogether.

Specifically, 37.4% of adult Bulgarians report that they will not or cannot vacation during the early summer. In contrast, 33.2% plan to spend their holidays in Bulgaria, 11.9% will head abroad, and 9.6% are planning both domestic and international trips. Meanwhile, 8% are unsure or hesitant.

For those who do plan to travel, households have set aside an average of 2,200 leva to cover their summer vacation expenses. As the research points out, this amount is most often set by people in their economically active years who have the means to allocate more for recreation.

Sea holidays remain the clear favorite. Nearly 39% of respondents have chosen the coast, while 15.3% prefer vacations that are not at the sea. About 16% cannot yet decide, and roughly 4% are completely unable to answer. Notably, 25.9% of respondents said outright that they do not even have the luxury to think about such plans—an answer that reflects a serious gap in opportunities.

The researchers caution that in surveys that touch on personal finances and standard of living, full transparency can be elusive, and some might not share their real situation. Still, the numbers paint a stark picture, showing how for many - particularly the elderly, minorities, and people living in the countryside - summer holidays are simply not on the radar.

This study, conducted in person using tablets, covered 806 adult Bulgarians. The maximum standard deviation is ±3.5% at a 50% share. One percent of the sample equals about 54,000 people, giving weight to the findings.