In July 2015, the number of trips Bulgarians took abroad grew by 16.5 percent year-on-year, while arrivals from abroad were 9.0 percent fewer, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said Thursday.

In comparison with July 2014, the most significant increase registered was in the number of trips Bulgarians took to the United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece: 44.1 percent, 24.9 percent, and 24.4 percent respectively.

By contrast, the number of trips of Bulgarians took decreased to Czech Republic (15.6 percent), Portugal (10.0 percent), and Israel (7.5 percent), NSI reported.

"Trips with other purposes (as a guest, education and visiting cultural and sport events) in July 2015 composed the greatest share of the total number of trips of Bulgarian residents abroad," NSI said. Following that were trips taken by holidaymakers and trips taken for professional reasons.

An increase was registered in the trips taken for holiday and recreation purposes (50.1 percent), while the trips for professional purposes decreased by 9.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of the Austrians who visited Bulgaria in July dropped by 34.9 percent, followed by Germans by 28.9 percent, and Czech nationals by 23.4 percent, NSI said.

The share of inbound visits for holidays and recreation was 55.4 percent, followed by those coming for other purposes, (including as a guest and those in transit) 38.7 percent, and for work, 5.9 percent, NSI said.

A decrease was registered across all travel sectors, the NSI added.