In the first half of this year, Moldovan tourism agencies and operators provided services to 95,000 tourists and excursion-goers, up 1.3% on the similar period last year, the National Statistics Bureau reported.
In January-June 2015, the number of inbound tourists and excursion-goers (foreign citizens coming to Moldova) increased by 27.8% and outbound tourism (Moldovans going abroad) rose by 5.7%. At the same time, domestic tourism dropped by 20.5%.
Of the nearly 7,000 foreign tourists visiting Moldova through tourism agencies, about a half came for holiday and entertainment, and 34.5% came for business. Most tourists come from Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United States.
Outbound tourism in this period numbered 72,500 tourists. The most preferred destinations are Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Egypt and Italy, with the main purpose being holiday.
Domestic tourism numbered 16,100 tourists, down 20.5% on the similar period last year. The travel of Moldovan residents within the country for tourism purposes was organized by Chisinau-based agencies and operators (42.7%), followed by those located in the Central Development Region (29.2%) and the Southern one (25.2%).
