Moldova grows in all tourism segments: 480.7 thousand visitors in first nine months of 2025

Travel agencies and tour operators of Moldova served a total of 480.7 thousand visitors from January to September 2025, marking an increase of 6.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. The data shows positive developments in all three forms of tourism: inbound, outbound and domestic, reports MOLDPRES with reference to the National Statistics Bureau (BNS).

The number of foreign visitors who arrived in Moldova through travel agencies totaled 65.8 thousand people, marking a significant increase of 28.8 per cent.

“The majority (95.2 per cent) were excursionists, who came for rest, recreation, and leisure. Most visitors came from Romania – 67.9 per cent and Italy – 17.5 per cent. Both the number of tourist days (1.4 times) and the average length of stay increased, from 3.9 to 4.6 days,” said BNS.

In the first nine months of the year, 336.5 thousand Moldovans traveled abroad through travel agencies, 0.3 per cent more than in 2024.

“Over 99 per cent went on leisure vacations. Preferred destinations stay Turkey – 46.1 per cent, Bulgaria – 21.7 per cent, Egypt – 11 per cent, Romania – 7.5 per cent, Greece – 5.4 per cent. At the same time, the number of tourist days decreased by 5.7 per cent, and the average length of stay fell to 6.1 days, compared to 6.4 days in the previous year,” cited source noted.

Domestic tourism registered one of the highest increases: 78.4 thousand visitors, which is +21.2 per cent compared to 2024. Most participants (74.1 per cent) were excursionists. The majority of trips were organized by agencies in Chisinau – 40.6 per cent, central region – 41.2 per cent, southern region – 17.4 per cent.

“In January–September 2025, total revenues from tourism activities reached 4.2 billion lei, 10.3 per cent more against the same period last year. The revenue structure is as follows: inbound tourism – 64.4 million lei (+33.3 per cent), outbound tourism – 4.0 billion lei (+10 per cent), domestic tourism – 167.1 million lei (+9.6 per cent),” summarizes the National Statistics Bureau.

The policies of Moldova in the field of tourism are oriented towards modernizing the sector, increasing the competitiveness of the national destination, and sustainably capitalizing on the natural and cultural heritage. They are formulated based on the Tourism Development Strategy, governmental programme documents, and initiatives to harmonize with European standards.

The government promotes investments in modernizing access infrastructure (roads, signage, tourist information points); improving public utilities in tourist areas; arranging topic-related tourist routes – wine, cultural, eco-tourism. National policies aim to align with European and international standards, by classifying tourist reception structures; training and certification of guides and tour operators; creating a regulatory framework for safe and quality services. State institutions collaborate with the private sector, in order to develop professional training programmes and guides of good practices.

At the same time, the government provides grants and funding programmes for the development of tourism businesses; facilities for investments in infrastructure; programmes for digitization and internationalization of tourism small and medium-sized enterprises. International projects supported by the EU, Sweden, Switzerland, United Nations Development Programme, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development substantially contribute to the implementation of these policies.